


A Month of Malec

by mansikka



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-01
Updated: 2018-07-01
Packaged: 2019-04-27 18:08:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 32
Words: 29,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14431230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mansikka/pseuds/mansikka
Summary: When the Shadow World isn't rudely interrupting them, Magnus and Alec spend some time together.





	1. Introduction

**Author's Note:**

> Hello :)
> 
> If you've read my Destiel fic _Getting Domestic_ this story is sort of the same principle; for the entire month of June, there will be a chapter of this fic that loosely fits together into one long story, but is really just an excuse to indulge in fluffy stuff. This fic is a month long but that doesn't mean its timeline is! The chapters aren't very long, and they're more snapshots of happy things than full on stories, but they are what I wanted to write for this particular fic; fluff, fluff, and more fluff. (and this _was_ going to be 30 days for the whole month of June but apparently I can't count so we have 31)
> 
> I'm scheduling this to post every day on [tumblr](https://mansikkaomenabanaani.tumblr.com/) at the same time and when it's done I'll come back here and post everything at once. Lazy, yes, but since there is yet to be a scheduling feature on here that's what I'll do :)
> 
> (and yeah, I know I'm posting this really early but that's only so I have a link to post on Tumblr!)
> 
> Thank you to those who helped me choose the ideas that came to be this story, and who also decided that for it a) Alec is mortal with the intention of becoming immortal eventually and b) Magnus and Alec are talking about living together; I have done my best within those options and, well, we kind of have the best of everything ;)


	2. Beginning With A Walk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So! In between holding for Netflix asking that they #SaveShadowhunters/#PickUpShadowhunters, I thought I might post the chapters of this that are already up on Tumblr - a brief moment of reprieve in this fight to keep our show!

Alec's face is a picture when he steps out of the Institute to find Magnus waiting for him just a few feet away.

"Hey," he calls out as he jogs down the steps towards him and leans straight in for a kiss. "You didn't say you were meeting me."

"Surprise," Magnus says with a flare of his fingers before leaning against him, lacing their fingers together as he steers Alec around to start walking. "I thought, it's such a beautiful evening we could walk home together. Perhaps pick up something to eat."

"Sounds good," Alec agrees as he squeezes his fingers and gestures for Magnus to lead the way.

"You finished earlier than I expected."

"I did. I even made it from my office to the door without someone asking me for something," Alec adds with a smile.

"I considered coming in to find you to make sure I wasn't too early if you still needed to work, but it's so nice out."

"It is," Alec agrees with a quick glance up at the sun overhead, "far too nice to be inside any longer than either of us need to be."

"We could eat out," Magnus suggests as his eyes linger over a sandwich a passerby is eating. "Find somewhere—"

"Why don't we go to that deli place with all the sandwiches and salads, and sit in the park? Or, that riverside cafe we went to that time it was raining?"

"How about the Roosevelt Island Promenade?" Magnus says as an alternative, thinking of places they haven't been together too many times. "We can find a bench, watch the river, and see the sun."

"Perfect," Alec agrees with a tug on his arm drawing Magnus in closer for a kiss.

They talk about their days, with Alec laughing raucously at Magnus' impersonation of a client, and Magnus kissing the frown from Alec's face when he talks about an argument with the Clave. It's easy, and _normal_ ; something Magnus has had snippets of in the past, but never quite like this. Knowing Alec's truly not going anywhere, that they really _won't_ run out of time for all they want to share together, gives Magnus a security he's never had before.

Sometimes despite all the conversations they've had about this, Magnus still finds himself struck with the reminder that Alec _wants_ a forever with him. They agreed to not rush any aspect of their relationship including no official moving in together, or no other formality to what they mean to one another, _because_ they have so long to experience all that they can. But knowing he doesn't have to watch Alec slip away from him, even if he isn't immortal yet and technically anything could happen, leaves Magnus repeatedly stunned by, for being a reality that is his own.

"You're thinking," Alec says as he holds out an open bag of chips to Magnus once they're settled on a bench, smiling as Magnus turns to catch his eye.

"I was."

"Anything good?" Alec asks, though in that tone that says he won't push for further details. Not that Magnus doesn't share every aspect of his life that he can with Alec, of course.

"Just about you."

"Good things I hope?"

"Always," Magnus assures him, debating leaning across the spread of food between them on their bench but thinking better of it for the salad that will likely ruin his pants if he does.

"Well. Whatever's going on in there," Alec says as he _does_ lean in to kiss him, though on the forehead, and avoiding a salad incident, "you know you can talk to me about anything."

"Just the usual," Magnus replies before taking a bite of his sandwich so he doesn't have to speak.

Alec raises an eyebrow and watches, totally aware of what he's doing, waiting for him to finish without pushing. Which is exactly the way he knows will get him to talk.

"That I can't wait to live my whole life with you," Magnus replies, the truth of it never failing to settle him. "That I _am_ living my whole life with you."

Alec smiles sweetly knowing exactly what he means. He raises his hand up to sweep down his back and nods, leaning in for another kiss.


	3. Genres

"And this is… Led Zeppelin, right?"

Alec looks up after listening to the first few seconds of the vinyl Magnus has just set up on a record player he didn't even know he had, and is rewarded with a smile.

"It is. And while I am not someone who insists this is the _only_ way to listen to Zeppelin," Magnus adds with what Alec thinks is an affectionate tap on the lid of the record player, "this is far superior to anything _digital_. Though there is nothing quite like listening to them perform live."

"Well. That's not exactly something _I_ can do," Alec says as Magnus sinks back down on the couch beside him.

"No. But there are numerous recordings that might give you some indication of the… effect."

Alec knows that look. It's the same slight smirk Magnus had on his face for that band called _Queen_ , and somebody called _Jim_ that had something to do with doors. He pitches forward peppering kisses over Magnus' face and pulls back to watch the surprised laughter that crinkles up his eyes.

"What was that for?"

"You know," Alec says as he raises his arm up for Magnus to duck under.

"I do not."

"Oh, really," Alec says as he turns to look at him, staring until Magnus blushes and starts fiddling with his ear cuff.

"I—"

"Have a _thing_  for lead singers of bands?"

"Not—"

"Or is it musicians in general?" Alec teases, seizing the rare opportunity of seeing Magnus flustered and determined to enjoy it.

"It was just… Alexander. Timing is everything. And when I met… when I met—"

"I am sure that there are all sorts of memories you've got in here," Alec says, lingering a kiss on his forehead, "that maybe I don't need to know all the details of."

"Alec—"

Alec leans in and kisses away whatever Magnus is trying to tell him, shaking his head when he pulls back. "They made you happy?"

"They did," Magnus agrees with a hesitant smile.

"Then, that's all that matters," Alec tells him with another kiss before sitting back and pulling Magnus closer. "And this is… this is good."

"You like it?"

"I do. Better than that… was was it? Who did you play the other day that—"

"You pulled faces at for _sounding like an X Factor singer_ —"

"Magnus. You made me sit through every single audition, and it was—"

"Sam Smith," Magnus tells him in mock-reproach, "it was Sam Smith. And it's a beautiful song."

"I didn't say it wasn't," Alec replies, laughing again when Magnus turns his head just enough to look back at him with a pout.

"But you didn't enjoy it."

"You had no objection when I didn't like anything else I didn't like," Alec points out, still enjoying the blush dancing across Magnus' cheeks.

"Because I wasn't, on any of those occasions, attempting to be a hopeless romantic and get you to _dance_ with me, Alexander."

Alec freezes in surprise, his heart thudding for the way Magnus then ducks his head and avoids his gaze. "Magnus—"

"In any case," Magnus says, snapping his fingers and making a bottle of wine and two glasses appear on the table in front of them. "We have barely scratched the surface of all there is to appreciate about music."

Magnus wants to _dance_ with him, Alec thinks, feeling giddy and foolish for it. They've danced together lots of times in all the various clubs Magnus has taken him to, but this kind of dancing? Slow dancing? Alec doesn't think he has a clue.

"Can we… is it—can we do that now? Here? To _this_?" Alec stutters as he waves his hand towards the record player, and hopes he doesn't trip over his own feet.

Magnus pauses from pouring their wine to look at him, caution making his smile small. "Perhaps not _this_ exactly."

"But… these guys. Led Zeppelin. They have something we can do… _that_ kind of dancing to?"

"Alexander," Magnus says with a fuller smile and a glint in his eyes that is another Alec recognizes, "there are all sorts of Led Zeppelin tracks that we can do all kinds of… activities to."

Alec sits forward, leaning in to kiss him in promise for later. "But for dancing?"

Magnus stares back at him for a second then nods and stands, walking back over to the record player and carefully lifting up its arm. Alec watches as he drops it back down, listens for the growing familiarity of the vinyl's crackle, and takes Magnus' hand as he pulls him to his feet.

"And this is?"

" _[Thank you](https://open.spotify.com/track/4ZkhFcoS3apzze9w2yI9NO?autoplay=true&v=T)_ ," Magnus tells him as he positions Alec's arms where he wants them, his eyes lighting up in a soft smile as they begin to dance.

> __If the sun refused to shine,  
>  I would still be loving you.  
> When mountains crumble to the sea,  
> There will still be you and me. 

* * *

"Bad day?" Alec asks as Magnus walks in to the apartment with a scowl on his face and obvious tension across his shoulders.

"Something like that."

Alec watches him disappear into the bedroom and pushes the report he was checking on to the table, standing and walking through to the kitchen. They have leftovers from yesterday that won't take long to heat through, and he bought some of the bread Magnus likes on the way over so he slices up some of that to have with it.

Alec reaches to take two plates down from an overhead cupboard, almost dropping them for the hands that slip around his waist.

"Hello," Magnus says with a sigh that he presses into his shoulder blade.

"Hey," Alec says as he turns in his arms, "you wanna… you need to talk about it?"

"Just difficult people who have no respect for my time," Magnus replies with a hint of that scowl remaining.

"So. Go shower," Alec says with a quick kiss, "I'll heat this through; don't worry, I'm not gonna attempt to cook anything too _elaborate_ —"

"I never said—"

"And I picked us up that cheesecake you ate almost all the samples of the other weekend," Alec adds, tugging Magnus closer to him.

Magnus sighs as their chests bump together, leaning against Alec and appearing to sag in relief for his day being over. "That sounds perfect."

Alec nods for Magnus to leave him to go for that shower, setting up a table on the balcony since it's still warm outside. He's perfected, almost, one of the drinks he knows Magnus likes so prepares that as well, checking that he has everything ready before he crosses over to Magnus' music system and finds a CD he's listened to a few times now.

When he's found the song he wants he gets it ready, checking the volume as he peeks towards the bedroom hoping Magnus won't hear it from the shower. Alec wipes his hands absently down his thighs then checks on the reheating dinner, leaning back against the counters and waiting for Magnus to reappear.

The moment Magnus returns Alec leans in to kiss him, snagging their fingers together and tugging him back out of the kitchen.

"What?" Magnus asks as Alec squeezes his hands asking him to stand still, then walks over to start the music playing.

Without saying a word Alec opens his arms to Magnus, pleased to see the way his face lights up as he steps into them. As Magnus settles against him and they begin to dance, Alec watches his face, takes in his smile as he seems to recognize the lyrics.

"You like this?" Magnus asks, his voice gentle and a little surprised.

"I do. I like this a lot. And I… it makes me think of you," Alec adds, leaning to kiss him.

The look on Magnus' face tells Alec he's got this just right for the softness that creeps into his expression, saying however bad Magnus’ day has been, he now is truly relaxed.

> __ Find me here, and speak to me   
>  I want to feel you, I need to hear you   
>  You are the light that's leading me to the place   
>  Where I find peace again   
>  You are the strength that keeps me walking   
>  You are the hope that keeps me trusting   
>  You are the life to my soul   
>  You are my purpose   
>  You're [everything](https://open.spotify.com/track/68jDcAoxBfn7Tu9SUt38d9?autoplay=true&v=T)   
>  And how can I stand here with you   
>  And not be moved by you   
>  Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?


	4. Wilderness

Magnus reaches out to catch Alec's hand and pull him back from slipping further, turning an apologetic smile on him for portaling them halfway up a steep hill.

"A little over there, perhaps," he suggests with a wave of his fingers toward a patch that levels out and will make the perfect place to pitch a tent.

"Here?" Alec asks, waving to the same spot as he comes to a stop, his arms out for balance where the ground is still uneven.

Alec's face is full of that quiet awe and fascination that makes Magnus want to show him new things every day. It's addictive, really, monitoring his expression every time they step through a portal and watching his eyes light up with delight.

"Yes. Here is exactly where we need."

"I don't think you could have picked anywhere more in the middle of nowhere. Or with better views," Alec replies, though his voice is a little absent for turning carefully to admire their surroundings. The hill behind them continues up a little further as bare grass before giving way to trees reaching up and becoming the skyline. And in front of them if they move down the hill is the edge of a sprawling lake, with those same trees mirrored on the opposite bank.

"It is beautiful," Magnus agrees, pulling his hands back and swirling them around to conjure the correct magic to bring them a tent, complete with all the things they will need inside.

They have a change of clothes, some extra blankets for when it gets cold in the evening, and a lamp they can suspend from the roof of the tent if they need a little light. Magnus has even thought of the food they will eat this evening; whether they cook it themselves or he uses magic to bring it to them he's going to leave up to Alec.

"And this is… camping?" Alec asks, sounding both intrigued and perplexed, the corners of his mouth turned up into a pleased smile.

"It is."

Magnus gestures for Alec to unzip the tent deciding that if Alec likes this experience then next time perhaps they'll put up a tent from scratch.

"And we just… what do we do?" Alec asks as he follows Magnus' instructions to take off his boots and climb in.

"We do whatever we want. We walk, explore, or stay here and wait for it to get dark. Then count the stars, perhaps roast some marshmallows—"

"We can do that here? Like… Mundanes can do that?"

"With gas stoves and other camping equipment, of course. There are even the camping equivalent of toilets and showers."

"Which we don't have," Alec says, just as he's half-poised to get in, looking around them so comically as though Magnus is hiding these facilities from him that Magnus barely holds back a laugh.

"I thought since this was your first time camping that I could portal us back for things like that."

Alec seems amused by this and leans in to kiss him for it, misjudging his balance enough to wobble before he makes it inside and lands on the mattress, squeezing around the edge of it in doubt. "And we can sleep on this?"

"That is the point."

"And it's full of… air?" Alec adds, sounding adorably bewildered.

"We could make it a challenge to try to burst it if you want," Magnus suggests, leaning in to kiss him and smiling as Alec laughs and pulls him closer so they're both sprawled out on their backs.

"It's more comfortable than I thought it would be," Alec says as he moves carefully, as though afraid one nudge of his elbow might make the entire thing pop.

"And it will likely be far warmer than you are thinking too."

"And we can… stay here all night?"

"We can," Magnus says, shuffling a little so he can drape half-over Alec to kiss him, though has to pull back for the startled look on Alec's face for the way the mattress moves. "I'll put up some wards later so if we are visited by curious wildlife they won't get too close."

"But we can see them? Whatever wildlife there is?" Alec asks, raising his head to look at Magnus with his eyes wide in interest.

Magnus leans to kiss him and nuzzles against his cheek, hiding his smile. "We can."

"What... what do you think there is around here?"

"Well. Deer, for sure. Foxes, perhaps. Rabbits and hares. We might see bats this evening once it reaches dusk. And who knows, we might even encounter something like a bear."

"Seriously?" Alec says, and now his face is lit up with excitement, his reaction adding yet more ideas of things Magnus wants to show him.

"It's possible."

"That... that'd be amazing."

"It would," Magnus agrees, leaning in to nuzzle against him. "And if you're very lucky, Alexander, perhaps you will even see a wild cat."

Alec's smile splits into raucous laughter, his eyes flitting over Magnus' cat eyes until he glamors them again, then slides his hands up the back of his shirt. "Magnus. I have one of those  _every_ _day_ , so—"

"You're right. And this is about _new_ experiences for you."

"I love every experience I have with you," Alec replies, squeezing at his hip.

That open, easy honesty of Alec's still catches Magnus' breath from time to time, and it takes him a moment to stop feeling so stunned by it enough to keep talking.

"We can explore now if you like," he says, already planning a route along the edge of the lake. 

"And leave this here?" Alec asks, stretching behind him so his hand trails down the wall of the tent. "It'll be safe?"

"I'll glamor it."

"And we can… you said about the stars?" Alec adds, which has Magnus smiling again for how many evenings they've spent together just watching the stars from wherever they are.

"Of course."

"Then… maybe in a minute," Alec says, shifting a little so Magnus knows he's turning on his side and towards him.

He still rolls as though he's afraid of breaking something, and Magnus' face hurts for how hard he's smiling for it. But that smile is slipping away into a soft sigh for Alec's hand spreading wide at his hip, and his leg thrown over Magnus' to pull him closer still. 

Alec tilts his chin for a kiss and leans in for it, letting out his own contented sigh. Magnus presses against him, happy to put on hold all the things he's been planning, and indulge in Alec for a little while.


	5. Lazy Day

"What time is it?"

Alec smiles for the grogginess in Magnus' voice and reaches for his phone, doing his best not to jostle Magnus for the way his head is resting on his shoulder.

"Almost eight."

Magnus grumbles as he rolls a little more into him pressing sleepy kisses over his chest before laying his head there. "We have nowhere we need to be today, right?"

"Nowhere," Alec agrees, sweeping his arms over Magnus' back and hugging him to him, smiling as Magnus stretches and settles more comfortably.

"Good," Magnus replies with another kiss to his chest, and promptly falls back to sleep.

* * *

"Good morning."

Alec smiles at the nuzzle against his chest and the thumb swirled over his nipple, only opening his eyes when he feels Magnus shift.

"Good morning," he replies, his stomach jolting for the look of intent in Magnus' eyes as he raises himself up to brace over him, nosing against his jaw so he knows to turn his head away and then tracing out the shape of his rune with his lips and tongue.

"Are you still sleepy?" Magnus asks, playfully nipping at his earlobe before kissing his way across his cheek and claiming his mouth.

"Not at all," Alec replies, laughing at the _good_ mumbled against his jaw, and raising and parting his knees for the way Magnus nudges between them, arching as he settles and begins to roll his hips.

* * *

"Just there," Alec sighs into his pillow at the feel of thumbs massaging at a knot over his shoulder blade, smiling as Magnus repositions a little so he's not sitting too hard on the backs of his thighs.

"Here?" Magnus asks with a firm press of his thumb that feels amazing. Alec answers with hum, half convinced he's going to melt into the bed for how relaxed he's feeling.

"You're so good at this," he sighs, smiling when his words earn him a kiss to the back of his neck.

"It must be this oil," Magnus says, which although feels really, really good, Alec knows is only half of it.

"Smells amazing," Alec manages to slur out along with another blissful sigh that he's sure earns him a soft blast of affectionate laughter. "But it's you that feels so good."

"Why, thank you, Alexander."

"I mean it. I… I had no idea massage could feel like this."

"Well, it probably helps that I have come to know every inch of you particularly well."

Alec lets out a snort at that and gets a stir of hips against his ass for it, not that he's complaining of course. "You gonna let me do the same for you?"

"Perhaps in a little while," Magnus replies, pausing to press another kiss into his neck before pressing his thumbs into Alec again.

* * *

"Why does every single thing you have always smell so good?" Alec asks as he wriggles a little against Magnus' chest to get more comfortable in the bath.

"I don't know," Magnus replies with a kiss to his shoulder as he splays his fingers against Alec's stomach. "Though I have had many years to… acquire a sense of what is good or not. At least, what _I_ find good."

"I like everything of yours."

"Oh, really," Magnus says with a playful arch to his voice as he kisses up the length of Alec's neck.

"Every single thing," Alec says, emphasizing each word with a stir of his hips.

Magnus hums against his neck and sweeps his fingers down over Alec's stomach and between his legs. Alec raises and parts them a little more and smiles as the water sloshes up the side of the bath. "Including the fact that I insist on baths that are far hotter than you would have alone?"

"I'm mostly used to that by now," Alec replies, gripping on to the sides of the bath and beginning to arch into his hand.

"I'm sure you have had to make many adjustments to being with me."

"Same as you've had to make getting used to _me_ ," Alec counters immediately, hearing the self-doubt in Magnus' voice and wanting to rid him of it.

"I suppose there has been a period of adjustment for us both," Magnus agrees, though he's paying much more attention to exploring Alec, gentle fingers coaxing him to hardness at the same time as playing with the hair on his chest.

"Water's getting cold," Alec says, raising his hand to grip the back of Magnus' neck and angling himself for an awkward kiss.

"You don't usually complain—"

"We could go back to bed."

Magnus smiles against his lips, humming as he gives Alec a languid stroke, and presses a kiss behind his ear before encouraging him to get up.


	6. To The Park

"It's so hot today," Alec says as he stares up at the sun, wincing at the strength of it even behind his sunglasses.

"Yes, it is," Magnus replies, smiling when Alec catches him  _looking_ at him over the top of his own glass.

"Magnus."

"What?" Magnus replies putting on the most innocent smile he can. It's not his fault the sun is out and he's convinced Alec to leave the Institute on an impromptu break, and that he's wearing a very short-sleeved t-shirt on account of how warm it is that looks really, really good on him.

Alec's own gaze travels down the length of Magnus' sleeveless shirt and back up with a smirk. "Nothing. Where are we going anyway?"

"The Washington Square Park Fountain."

"Because?"

"You will see," Magnus replies, bumping against his arm since it's too warm to even be holding hands like they'd normally do.

They talk about Alec's workload and the things he still has left to do today, and the couple of people Magnus will need to see once he returns to work. There is a stop for ice cream that melts far too quickly and leaves them smiling as they try to keep each other's faces clean, and another one for bottles of ice cold water that keeps them going until they get to the park.

Alec's face is a picture when they approach the fountain, giving Magnus ample time to watch as he takes in the kids squealing and jumping over the shoots of water, and the adults that are both doing the same and trying to be more discreet about it. There are even a couple of dogs that are rolling around then shaking water everywhere, which sets off more excited squealing from everyone. Alec bursts out laughing as a particularly violent shake from a passing Labrador splashes up the front of them both.

"We should take off our shoes," Magnus says, squatting down before Alec can object and grabbing his ankle encouraging him to lift his foot.

"What? Magnus—"

"You said it was hot," Magnus says as he looks up and winks at him. Alec sighs but is smiling through it, bracing himself on Magnus' shoulder as he removes his shoes and socks and rolls up his pant legs.

"Your turn," he announces the second Magnus straightens up, grinning up at him wickedly as he repeats the gesture, even if it will take a lot less effort since Magnus is already wearing flip-flops. Alec is a worse tease than he has ever been, Magnus thinks, as Alec straightens up deliberately slowly, so close that their chests bump together once he's stood.

Hand in hand now they're cooler, and holding on to their shoes, they nod forward and walk towards the nearest fountain. Alec's laughter is joyous, and there are only a few seconds of them being sensible before there is splashing, and leaping, and both forget anyone else is around.

When Alec almost slips and Magnus catches him leaving them clinging to one another in a fit of giggles, it takes them several seconds to right themselves for how hard they're laughing.

"Still too hot?" Magnus says as they move on to the next fountain, looking at just how soaked Alec already is and imagining the looks he's going to get back in the Institute.

"I'm not cold," Alec replies, wrapping his arm around Magnus' waist and tugging him forward, with Magnus realizing seconds later it's to pull him out of the path of three men shoving at each other.

Magnus snorts at the scowl Alec sends their way and how quickly it sends them scattering, drapes an arm around Alec's neck and presses closer until they're turning in a half-dance. There is more laughter as the fountain beneath them shoots up an unexpected blast of water between them and they have to pull to the side of it to wipe their eyes.

Alec's t-shirt is clinging to his chest which Magnus enjoys seeing very much, even reaching out to tug it down as he leans in for a kiss. Alec laughs when Magnus splutters for the hair falling down on his face and helps push it back, thumbing away what is probably a smear of kohl beneath his eyes.

"Alright. Maybe I'm a _little_ colder now," Alec admits, staring down at himself.

"Perhaps we should get you back to the Institute."

Alec looks around him smiling at everyone else in the park and shakes his head, lacing their fingers together and pulling. "Maybe another five minutes."


	7. Kittens

"I have something to show you."

Alec smiles at the hurried kiss that greets him the moment he's closed the front door, following Magnus as he hurries to the balcony. "What happened?"

"I arrived back here intent on making us lunch, came out here for a breath of fresh air first, and found _this_."

There is excitement in Magnus' voice, and also reverence, Alec thinks. He follows the point of his finger to the corner of the balcony where there is some kind of enclosure Alec doesn't remember being there this morning.

"What?"

" _Look_ ," Magnus says as they step closer, though his hand is pressed against Alec's chest so he knows to look over the edge of the enclosure and not get too close.

Alec does as asked, slowly leaning forward to be greeted by a blinking cat, protectively curled around six tiny kittens. "She gave birth _here_?"

"I guess she feels secure here," Magnus says, and his voice is now filled with pride.

The kittens are so small. Alec has never seen a kitten this young before, knows they can't be more than a few hours old. There is heat radiating up from the enclosure suggesting some kind of magic because it's fairly cold out, and when Alec reaches out he realizes there's also a ward to protect them.

"You watched?" Alec asks, turning only enough to catch Magnus' beaming face as he stares down at them.

"The entire birth. She was so brave, and strong."

The affection in Magnus' voice is too much. Alec has to reach out to pull him closer, pressing a kiss to his temple before he looks down at the kittens again.

"Are they gonna be okay here?"

"For now. I'll keep wards up for when they start exploring."

"Are you… planning on keep them all?" Alec asks, imagining the loft overrun with kittens and smiling for the thought of them swinging from curtains, and causing general chaos in the apothecary.

"We could keep _one_ ," Magnus says, and that sounds to Alec like he's _asking_ if he wants them to have a kitten. "Or we could _not_ , and just become… foster parents until we find homes for them all."

"How would we choose just _one_?" Alec asks with a soft laugh for the gentle cooing noises Magnus is making. He gets the impression that he'd happily keep every last one. In fact, for the number of cats he sometimes finds out here on the balcony, Alec would not be surprised if he kept this litter and more besides. Even if it's far from practical.

"This one," Magnus whispers, pointing to one of the kittens that seems more fluffy than the others even being just a few hours old.

"They're so tiny," Alec says, itching to reach out and pick one up but fairly sure it's far too soon for such a thing.

"They are. Though they are also all a good size. This one is the runt, but even he is pretty big."

Alec follows the point of Magnus' finger and barely notices any size difference, but since Magnus was the one who witnessed the birth and would know these things just nods in agreement.

"How long do we need to keep them for first?"

"Around twelve weeks."

Alec watches Magnus' face, the delight in his expression every time one of the kittens so much as wriggles, and looks forward to those twelve weeks to come.


	8. Poker

"This one?" Alec asks, walking towards Magnus as he sets up their table brandishing a bottle of red wine that he waves for him to look at.

"Yes," Magnus replies, recognizing the label, "this is Raphael's favorite."

"And we… I don't know what kind of ratio we're supposed to mix."

Magnus pauses, lowering his hands just as he's about to stack up the poker chips for when Raphael, Simon, and Luke arrive. That Alec is standing there not blinking an eyelid at the thought of getting the mix of blood and wine right for their vampire guests stops him in his tracks for a moment. But he smiles anyway, patting at Alec's chest in affection as he turns back to the table.

"Oh, generally I leave that for Raphael to decide. I once attempted to make him something like a Manhattan, only to have him pull faces at me telling me the mix was entirely wrong."

"So just… leave the bottle on the side, and the blood in the fridge?" Alec asks, still not seeming fazed by his own words.

"Actually, we should put that on the counter as well. I can still hear his lecture about _room temperature_ word for word."

"Got it," Alec says, turning away again, and when Magnus is happy the table is set just right he follows him through to the kitchen picking up a stray kitten as he goes, watching as Alec fills dishes with various snacks.

"Do you need anything to eat before they arrive? I just realized we haven't had the chance to eat dinner."

"That's my fault," Alec tells him, spinning around with a second kiss of apology for arriving late and reaching out to scratch the kitten's head. "Are we keeping these guys outside when everyone's here?"

"Oh, I don't think anyone will object to them running around. Will they?" Magnus asks as he holds the kitten up to eye level and catches Alec smiling at him adoringly for doing it.

"I guess. Though maybe they need to eat something? I'll fill up their bowls."

Magnus hands Alec the kitten and gives everything the once over, deciding everything is as ready as it can be.

"I'm sorry I got back so late," Alec says as he returns to him, moving straight to the sink to wash his hands. "I got stuck in a meeting that felt never-ending."

"That's okay, Alec," Magnus says as he washes his own hands and dries Alec's after he's dried his own. "I didn't get home until later than I was planning either."

"I know. But I still cut into our time. And should probably change," Alec adds, looking down at his shirt and plucking at it.

Magnus snags Alec's fingers before he can turn away, smiling at the look on Alec's face as he snaps his fingers to bring two plates with sandwiches and piled-high fries to the nearest counter. "Eat first. We have time for this."

"Oh, thank you," Alec says, already reaching for the plates to hand one to Magnus and all but attacking his food.

"You didn't eat lunch again. Did you?" Magnus asks as he tries one of the fries and realizes he too is starving.

"No time."

"Alexander—"

"I wanted to get ahead. Can you imagine how much later I would've been if I hadn't worked through lunch?" Alec teases, sighing in relief around a mouthful of his sandwich, and messily adding, "this is so good."

Magnus wants to retort that it's important to make time for such things, but he also knows how busy things are at the Institute at the moment so lets it drop. "Is there anything else you think we need for this evening?"

Alec shakes his head with his cheeks bulging, and Magnus does his best not to smile.

***

Simon is growing on Alec. Magnus is sure of it for the way he repeatedly catches Alec trying to hide a smile for half the things he says. He even ducked his head when Simon sang a few bars of _poker face_ as they sat down at the table, with Luke smiling at him in affection and Raphael rolling his eyes with his typical scowl.

Alec has even grown more used to Raphael in the length of time they've been together. They're not quite friends, but Magnus has seen a softening of the stiffness they have around one another and is relieved he's no longer refereeing them every time they meet. Though if Alec has grown closest to anyone around this table beside himself, then it's Luke. Alec never looks anything but relaxed in his company, and Magnus knows they've met on their own for lunch or just to catch up countless times.

"You know, I still don't know how fair it is for me and Alec having to play poker with the three of you," Simon says with a huff of frustration as he's the first to fold yet again.

"I only got good at poker because of playing this old guy at Rosa's nursing home on Sundays when I took them food," Raphael replies, with a brief smile of fond memories seeping over his face before he manages to rein it in.

"We've had a poker night with some guys from the station for years," Luke tells them as he studies his hand and throws down a couple more chips, and picks up a wandering kitten from beneath the table to sit in his lap.

"And _Magnus_ learned sometime during the American Civil War," Alec adds absently, studying his own hand.

Magnus smiles in memory of telling Alec about it after teasing him for standing like a soldier as they prepared dinner, and hides that smile behind his glass when Alec prompts him to take his turn.

"So, essentially, we're screwed," Simon declares when Alec looks up.

"Maybe next time we have games night, we should play something else," Alec suggests.

"There's an archery game on the Wii."

"Is there?" Alec replies with a pleased lilt to his voice as he sits up a little straighter.

"There is," Simon replies sitting up a little straighter himself.

"Wouldn't that put _us_ all at an unfair disadvantage?" Luke teases, pointing to himself, Raphael, and Magnus. The kitten wriggles in his lap to be let back down, and they all turn to watch it scampering across the floor as fast as its tiny legs will carry it.

"I'm… no Alec, but I'm pretty good too. On the Wii, anyway," Simon replies with a small smug roll of his shoulders. Alec looks across the table at him with a glint in his eye.

"Then we'll team up."

"How's that fair?" Luke asks with a blast of laughter that Alec shrugs at, smirking at the table and throwing in a couple of chips of his own.

There is a flicker of amusement Magnus catches on Raphael's face as he observes the conversation that flares a little more when he sees Magnus looking at him. But then Alec is discreetly squeezing his thigh reminding him it's his turn again, and Magnus is putting on his best poker face for the disaster that is his cards.


	9. Ironing

"I'm so full," Alec half-protests as he pushes back from the table and sinks a little lower in his chair, apologizing to the kitten walking by at the same moment for bumping into it.

"Since you insisted on leaving here before breakfast—"

"There was an emergency—"

"And you didn't arrive here until after midnight so you likely didn't eat much last night—"

"I—"

"When I get five minutes of your time I intend to make sure you eat a good, large meal," Magnus finishes, smiling at Alec across the table with that look of affection he has whenever he's _fussing_ over him.

"It's been more than five minutes," Alec retorts after he's thought about it, standing and beginning to clear things up.

Magnus jumps up just as fast and shoos his hands away, snapping his fingers and making the remains of their lunch disappear.

"Magnus—"

"You are having a very busy time at the moment," Magnus says, stepping closer to Alec and beginning to straighten up his shirt.

"You're just as busy—"

"Not so busy that I forget to eat," Magnus replies, raising an eyebrow to disagree with him that he softens with a kiss.

"How can I forget to eat, when you're always looking after me?" Alec counters, resting his forearms over Magnus' shoulders and smiling as he frowns down at his shirt. "And I _did_ have breakfast, because _someone_ sent a coffee and muffin to my desk."

"A warm drink and something sweet is not a breakfast—"

"We've had plenty of breakfasts that have been just that—"

"When we were _resting_ , and not attempting to run an Institute on an empty stomach," Magnus argues back, nudging Alec back a little and putting his hands on his hips, looking at Alec in pure exasperation.

"What?" Alec says, looking down at himself.

"Alexander. I cannot understand how you manage to make your shirts so crumpled so quickly."

Alec watches as Magnus plucks at his shirt, and can admit that there are one or two creases. Perhaps more than one or two. "I… guess it's the way I sit?"

Alec is sure he hears the word _fidget_ under Magnus' breath but is then distracted by him beginning to unbutton his shirt. "Uh… not that I'm complaining… and not that I wouldn't… make the time. But after everything we just ate, I—"

"You are likely to slip into a food coma the moment you return to the Institute," Magnus finishes for him. He undoes the last button with a flourish, hums to himself with a smirk as he runs his hands up Alec's chest, then tugs at his shirt tails and gestures for Alec to take it off.

"Mag—"

"The least I can do, if you are going to spend the rest of your day with… difficult people—"

"They're not _all_ difficult—"

"Were your first, and almost only words to me this morning not _I've got those assholes from the Clave breathing down my neck all day long_?"

Alec bursts out laughing for Magnus imitating his voice, his wrist snagging on his sleeve cuff before Magnus can slip it from his arm. "If you thought I needed to change my shirt—"

The snap of Magnus' fingers rings out a little as they stand there smiling at each other, with Alec's attention then caught by the ironing board that appears by their side, bending to soothe a kitten that almost gets knocked away in the process.

"Uh—"

"I like ironing," Magnus says as he turns away. Alec pets the kitten as he watches him pull an iron from a low cupboard, and then as he goes about adding enough water to it to produce billowing steam. The kitten does _not_ approve, wriggling and writhing to be let down, running immediately for the balcony meowing for its mom.

"You… just snapped your fingers to clear away lunch," Alec points out.

"Because that's _boring_ ," Magnus replies, laying Alec's shirt over the ironing board with such precision that Alec suspects the shirt's never been so flat, and that's even before the iron has touched it.

"And… ironing isn't?" Alec asks, barely holding in his snort of laughter for the indignant look Magnus gives him. "Do you… iron everything when I'm not around or something? Because I didn't even _know_ you had an iron."

"Not everything. But many things. Sometimes when I have an evening alone I open a favorite bottle of wine, find something to watch—"

"Project Runway?" Alec suggests knowing how much Magnus likes both gushing over and mocking half the outfits, and making not-so-discreet notes about the other half that Alec swears he finds versions of in his closet sometimes when he's borrowing a shirt.

"Perhaps," Magnus replies, sweeping Alec's shirt from the ironing board with a flourish and holding on to it as he unplugs the iron, putting it on the side to cool. He holds the shirt out and gestures for Alec to move closer so he can help him into it, doing up his buttons again with another smirk.

"Thank you," Alec tells him leaning in to kiss his temple and obediently holding out his wrists in turn for Magnus to button and adjust the cuffs.

"I have no doubt that my efforts will be ruined within five minutes of you working," Magnus says with a sigh, smiling as he straightens Alec's collar and presses his hands against his chest.

"I'll try not to," Alec says with a laugh, raising his hands to cup Magnus' face and kissing him as he thanks him.

"It's quite alright. At least it gave you a reason to keep still for a few minutes to perhaps avoid indigestion."

"Don't you have _werewolf_ _fangs_ for that?" Alec teases, earning himself an even more delighted smile.

"Don't you have work to do?" Magnus retorts, leaning in for a final kiss then nudging Alec back again, and opening a portal even before Alec thinks to ask. "Let me know when you are done and I will have dinner ready."

"Magnus," Alec says with his jaw aching for how hard he's smiling for just how hard Magnus is trying to take care of him. "I'm—"

"Going to allow me to take care of you until you take an adequate enough break so you can do it for yourself," Magnus retorts, fighting to school in his own smile. "I'll see you this evening."

Alec sighs, raising his hands and slapping them down by his sides in amused defeat, then waves as he steps through the portal into his office. Then bursts out laughing for the paper bag that appears on his desk seconds later along with a note reading, _something sweet for you to eat later this afternoon_.

He runs his thumb over the kisses at the bottom of the note, peeks into the bag and hums for recognizing the cake Magnus has sent him, then sighs at the messages waiting for him and gets back to work.


	10. Working From Home

Alec groans at the sight of yet another spelling mistake in the report he's reading over, slumping back into his chair with an exasperated groan.

"More grammar to correct?" Magnus says with a soft smile even if his tone is a little distracted for concentrating on his own work. Though he does pause to send a gentle blast of magic towards a kitten that's getting a little too close as it tries to climb on to the table.

Alec picks up the kitten to sit on his knee and watches the careful way Magnus opens a jar, transferring two of the green spherical _things_ from it with tweezers into the potion he's brewing. He absently strokes between the kitten's ears as it curls its tail around his forearm, and smiles at the expression on Magnus' face when the concoction begins to hiss.

"Yeah," Alec agrees, balancing the papers on the arm of the chair and leaning forward, only to have to rescue them when another kitten comes clattering across the floor and tries to tug them down.

"Are Shadowhunters above a little proofreading? Or spell checking before submitting a report?"

"Apparently so."

"What will happen with these reports?" Magnus asks with a vague gesture towards him with the glass rod he's just picked up.

Again Alec takes his time to answer, watching Magnus dip the rod into the mixture and pull it back out, study the way it drips back in, and hum as though pleased with what he's seeing.

"I'll return them to get done properly."

"Good," Magnus smiles, "you are Head of the New York Institute, Alexander. Not a middle school teacher."

"I know—"

"Though perhaps a kindergarten teacher for some," Magnus adds, pausing to look over at him and wink.

Alec smiles back, knowing Magnus is referring to an incident with Jace last week and what Magnus described as a _tantrum_ for not getting his own way. "Maybe."

"So. Does this mean you'll be delayed from issuing these reports to Idris?"

"Not really. I kind of expected to need to hand a couple of these back so moved the deadline forward; not that _they_ need to know that," Alec adds, reaching for his phone and sending messages to the two report writers so far who have earned themselves some additional work tonight.

"An excellent strategy," Magnus replies, smiling harder at him, then reaching out for a small potted plant on the other side of the table and twisting off a couple of leaves.

"It's worked so far."

"They are getting so inquisitive," Magnus says then as he looks up and watches Alec trying to stop a kitten from falling from the back of his armchair as another two tussle on his lap.

The kittens are getting so _big_ , and there are already people who have seen the multiple pictures of them that are talking about adopting them. Though for all their boisterousness Alec isn't sure he or Magnus are ready to give them up yet.

"I admit to doing similar with the warlocks under my care," Magnus tells him, though his voice is still distracted. Whatever he's doing with these leaves looks complicated, so Alec waits until he drops them into the pot he's using before saying anything else.

"Like… warlocks report to you?" Alec asks after putting another kitten on the floor and watching them chase each other, taking a second to understand Magnus' meaning.

"Oh, nothing as formal or monitored as your team do with you," Magnus replies, laughing a little. "But, those that provide services for others, which is many of them, often report to me so that there is a… so that we know their practices are safe. That their tracks are covered if they work with Mundanes."

"And they… give you reports?" Alec asks, waving his stack of papers and trying to imagine Magnus going through similar work.

"No. It's usually a message or phone call to let me know what spells or magic they have used. The errors I tend to notice are less about spelling and more about quantity use. Which can have all the more dire outcomes."

"I guess."

"Take this potion, for example," Magnus says, gesturing at the mixture that he's barely stopped stirring, or adding to, for the last fifteen minutes. "Just an ounce or two out of any of these ingredients would lead to disastrous consequences. Or unsightly blemishes, depending on how far the measurements were out."

"So you're like… quality control," Alec replies, struck with the image of Magnus in some Mundane factory in a lab coat that does nothing to hide his usual attire.

"I suppose I am," Magnus agrees, checking the viscosity of the potion again and nodding to himself as he pours it into a glass. "Now. Lunch break? Or do you need a little more time?"

"No. I'm good," Alec says, reaching out and grabbing Magnus around the hip as he tries to pass.

"And you're in no hurry to get back to the Institute?" Magnus asks with a burst of laughter as he stumbles back towards him and leans over for a kiss.

"Nope," Alec says as he reaches up to cup Magnus' face and drag him in for another kiss. "I don't need to go back for hours. I said I'd check on something later, and I have a couple of people I need to speak to in person, but not yet."

Magnus smiles at that, nuzzling against his cheek before straightening up again, and Alec watches as he walks towards the kitchen, stretching and rolling his neck as he goes. He does still have work to do, but he does have plenty of time to do it, Alec thinks, going over his to-do list and prioritizing.

Alec listens to Magnus humming in the kitchen as he prepares something for lunch, puts his cell phone on silent as he stands, and walks through to join him, navigating the playing kittens as he goes.

 


	11. Touching and Making Adjustments

"Is this meeting a bigger deal than you're telling me?" Alec asks as Magnus checks his appearance in the mirror for the third time. 

"It is, and it isn't," Magnus replies, tweaking at a strand of hair that is refusing to behave.

"Back to being coy, huh?" Alec teases, loosely resting his hands on Magnus' waist and kissing his shoulder as they make eye contact.

"Not intentionally," Magnus says as he smiles back at him, squeezing Alec's fingers before spinning around. "There are just one or two surly characters I'll have to be in the company of for several hours, and the mere thought of it is putting me on edge."

"Surlier than… Raphael?" Alec asks as he adjusts one of Magnus' shirt buttons.

"Oh; Raphael is never surly with _me_."

"Uh huh," Alec replies, leaning in to kiss him. "You'll be fine. Wanna get dinner when you're done, or is this one of those meetings where you don't know when you'll be finished?"

"Oh, I will be back long before then, I am sure. I hope, anyway," Magnus tells him, flattening down the collar of Alec's shirt.

"Then, let me know when you're back. I'm gonna take two of the kittens with me now, and Izzy's coming by later to pick up another two; probably around dinner time."

"Who would have thought _Shadowhunters_ would be so willing to have pets?" Magnus teases. "And maybe Izzy would like to join us for dinner?"

"I'll ask her. And I don't know, Magnus," Alec says, smiling back at him hard, "aren't the final two going to _warlocks_? Who'd have thought a _warlock_ would want a pet?"

Magnus can't believe their twelve weeks with the kittens are already up. They've grown so quickly, and any thoughts they'd had about keeping one for themselves were quickly dashed for how quickly all six kittens had found prospective homes. They'll both be a little sad tomorrow when the last two are gone and the loft feels empty, but perhaps that's for the best for now. And there is nothing stopping them getting a kitten of their own in the future. Several of them, even.

"Alexander. Have you never heard of having a _familiar_?"

"So _that's_ why you were so keen to keep one," Alec teases, leaning in for another kiss.

"Perhaps."

"I'll see you later," Alec says with a soft laugh, leaning in for one final kiss as he leaves for the Institute.

***

"What time do you think you will be finished?" Magnus asks, tilting his head to the side so Alec has better access to his neck.

"Late," Alec says with a hard blasted sigh against his skin, fingers smoothing circles into Magnus' back beneath his shirt. "We have someone coming from the Clave to discuss some new weapon the Iron Sisters are testing."

"Well," Magnus replies as he dips his thumb in the gap he's already worked open in Alec's shirt buttons, "I can portal you straight home when you're finished if you like."

"Thanks," Alec says as he slips his hands down to Magnus' waist and tugs him even closer to him on his lap, "I'll let you know. Depends on how late it is, I guess. I might need to blow off a little steam and run there depending on how it goes."

"Oh," Magnus replies, stirring his hips a little more and in doing so scraping Alec's office chair back enough to make them both laugh. "Well. I am sure I can help you find some other ways to _blow off steam_ once you arrive."

"I'm sure you can," Alec agrees, and Magnus tastes his smile when he leans down to kiss him, continuing to stir his hips as he chases each resultant moan from his mouth.

Magnus is aware of just how much echo there is in Alec's office when the door is closed for no more than a couple of moments before he's too distracted with his efforts to get closer to Alec; starting with the removal of his shirt. Alec is already bunching his shirt up in his fist and pulling it away until their chests are pressed together, moaning a little louder for the contact. 

Alec grips Magnus' waist guiding his movement, mumbling in encouragement as Magnus works at his belt. Magnus has just worked his hands into the front of Alec's pants when there's a loud rap of knuckles on the door that has them both groaning, and reluctantly pulling apart.

Magnus sighs, leaning in for a final kiss as he stands, snapping his fingers to tidy himself up. He pulls Alec to his feet but chooses to fix Alec himself, smiling as he tucks Alec's shirt back in and zips him up.

"Good to go?" Alec whispers as Magnus straightens the collar of his shirt then flattens down a tuft of hair he's had his fingers through to mess up.

"Always," Magnus whispers back as he nods towards the door, following Alec to smooth out the back of his shirt that is still rucked up.

***


	12. Polished

"This one."

Magnus takes the offered bottle of nail polish and raises it up to inspect, smiling at the way it shimmers. "Well. It is _black_ , I suppose."

"But with this shimmery stuff in it," Alec points out as he jabs his finger at the bottle then lays his hand flat on the cushion in Magnus' lap and gets comfortable. 

This is the third time Alec has shrugged and said _sure_ instead of blushing the most adorable shade of pink at his suggestion of painting his nails. Magnus doesn't think his grin could be more triumphant for it, especially for the way Alec looks at him knowingly, leans in for a kiss, and nods towards his own hand.

"So. The only way I can convince you to wear something that isn't black is if it shimmers?" Magnus teases as he shakes the bottle and twists it open. "I'll remember that when we're choosing you something to wear the next time we go dancing."

"I wear other colors all the time," Alec protests, but it's only half-hearted. Magnus leans in to kiss away the tiny frown on his forehead, and begins to paint his nails.

"I can't imagine the looks you would get in Idris were you to show up to a meeting looking like this," Magnus says, wriggling his own fingers to draw Alec's attention to his own dark and sparkling nails.

"No worse than usual," Alec replies, and Magnus squeezes around his finger to keep it in place as he looks up.

"Oh?"

"They don't exactly trust me," Alec says with a huff of resigned laughter.

"Because of me?"

"No," Alec says with a shake of his head, "no, Magnus. Because of _them_."

"But—"

"My parents still get suspicious looks everywhere they go. Izzy can walk from one side of the city to the next and not get a single _hello_. Jace is… well. Jace is an exception, 'cos he's also a _Herondale_. It's mostly _our_ name. Mostly our choices that's the problem. I'm sure _we_ come into it as part of that," Alec adds with a wave between them, "but it's… I guess it's more of a blanket mistrust of anything to do with the name _Lightwood_."

"If that's the case, then why do they trust you enough to head the Institute?" Magnus asks, trying to concentrate on the color he's adding to Alec's nails instead of the anger he feels for Alec's casual acceptance of the Clave's treatment of him.

"Because they might not like me, but they can't deny I'm good at what I do," Alec replies, leaning in and apparently kissing away a frown from Magnus' own forehead. "They just watch me a little closer. Glare a little harder is all."

"You shouldn't have to be _used_ to it—"

"It's just the way it is for now," Alec says with a shrug, "I'm… I can't change everything all at once."

"Even so—"

"Magnus," Alec says, leaning in a little closer and pressing a kiss to Magnus' neck that becomes a trail to his mouth. "Honestly? The last thing I want to be thinking about right now, is the Clave, and Idris, and… work stuff. I'm here with you." 

"That is true. And I do get to keep you for the entire evening away from any of that," Magnus says, squeezing Alec's thigh where they're cross-legged on the couch and facing one another.

"You do."

There is an unspoken look between them about the number of times Alec stays over compared with those that he doesn't, with Magnus immediately thinking of the closet space he's made for him and the few possessions of Alec's that have made their way onto his shelves. So he won't invite Alec to stay, because there's no need to. Though he is curious when Alec awkwardly reaches for his phone and gestures for him to hold up the nail polish bottle.

"What is it?"

"The last time you painted my nails like this and I went to the Institute with them, Izzy followed me for half an hour asking which brand it was," Alec says as he takes a picture then pushes the cell phone back on to the table and swaps hands, inspecting Magnus' work with a curious smile.

"Chanel. Le Vernis, in Gris Obscur. Though I may have added a touch more sparkle," Magnus says as he picks up the bottle to inspect it himself.

"Of course you did," Alec replies, smiling as he finishes inspecting his fingers.

That Alec is unfazed and showing no sign of wanting him to remove it before morning should not make something warm stir in Magnus' chest. But it does, and Magnus pauses because of it, pushing the brush back into the bottle before it can drip on to Alec's hand. Alec watches him do it, smiles curiously when he slides the bottle back on to the table, and leans in easily when Magnus cups his face to draw him in for a longer kiss.


	13. By The Beach

"It's beautiful here, Magnus."

Alec looks up at the sky so perfectly clear he's sure he can see every single star, then over to the waves lapping against the beach a few feet away, and breathes deep.

"It is."

Alec lifts his head up enough to watch Magnus reading in the hammock beside his own, and sees him also look out to sea before turning to him with a smile.

"Thank you. I didn't know how badly I needed this," Alec says, and it's true. It's not been a particularly difficult time at the Institute, but it has been several weeks of busy days. Days that have piled up on top of one another and made simple tasks feel bigger, require more exertion than they normally would.

Alec hadn't realized how long it had been since the two of them had been anywhere together outside New York until Magnus had pointed it out on the planner he keeps on his apothecary desk for scheduling clients. And the moment he'd realized that it's been weeks Alec was making arrangements for someone to cover him at the Institute, determined to take a few days with Magnus.

"No. I suppose neither did I," Magnus replies, the look he's giving him affectionate.

"What happened to us taking time for what's important, huh?" Alec asks with a laugh, and then a louder one for the way Magnus hooks his foot over his hammock to set Alec's swinging.

"It's a work in progress?"

"I guess."

"And more importantly," Magnus says, carefully sitting upright gripping on to the sides of the hammock trying not to tip it, "we're doing it now. Do you feel like something to eat?"

"I'm pretty full from dinner," Alec replies patting his stomach. "But… maybe some fruit or something."

"Perfect," Magnus agrees, snapping his fingers to make a platter appear on a table between them covered in a heap of pieces of fresh fruit. "This is all locally produced, organic, and—"

"Freshly peeled and cut for our convenience?" Alec finishes for him reaching out for what he thinks is papaya, smiling at the sweetness of it on his tongue.

"Of course."

"And this is, what, a vacation home for you, or something?"

"This was Ragnor's," Magnus says with a wistful smile. "He left it to me. Along with numerous other, less useful possessions. This is the first time I've been here since he…"

Alec sits up precariously and carefully extracts himself from his hammock, holding on to the edge of Magnus' for him to do the same. There is a careful balancing act as Magnus gets tangled, helplessly giggling as Alec guides his legs to wrap around his waist. And then Alec is picking him up, and they're awkwardly stumbling together across the decking of this strange little oasis Ragnor has left Magnus, falling to a mound of pillows Magnus summons at the last moment before they hit.

"Tell me about Ragnor," Alec asks softly as they crawl and settle together, reaching out to swipe away a dot of kohl that's smudged just to the corner of Magnus' eye.

"What do you want to know?"

"Anything you feel like sharing," Alec whispers, dropping a kiss on his cheek before nuzzling there and waiting for Magnus to feel ready to talk.

"Well," he says after a long pause, "he was a… good friend. Wise. Clever. Incredibly pompous about it at times. But he was a… good person, who did his best to do what's right. He preferred the company of close friends, generally keeping himself to himself aside from at forced social occasions—that I often was to blame for. And he was… my friend."

It's not even half a story, but Alec knows Magnus shares these things only when he's ready, so drops a kiss to his temple before standing up to retrieve their fruit, sinking down opposite him cross-legged. Alec chooses a piece of mango and holds it out for Magnus, who takes an obscenely long time to suck it from his fingers before licking them clean.

"Did you come here with him?" Alec asks, taking a piece of pineapple for himself and holding out a chunk for Magnus.

"Once. Just after he bought the place. He wanted yet another location away from everything else."

"Like… that place in London?" Alec asks, wincing for needing to remind him of such a thing.

"Yes. Ragnor valued his privacy above all else."

Alec recognizes the look in Magnus' eyes to accompany his words and understands. He moves again, standing and then dropping down behind Magnus so he can prop himself up against his chest. He slots one hand beneath Magnus' shirt to press against his stomach and pull him closer, and drags the platter of fruit nearer to them so they can still eat.

"Tomorrow. You wanna sleep late, then explore this beach? Looks like there's no one else around here."

"No one for miles. And that sounds like an excellent idea. There is a cove a few miles north of here with water so clear you can see all the way to the bottom."

"Sounds good."

"I'm not trying to shut you out, Alexander," Magnus says softly with a light grip on his hand.

"Hey," Alec whispers, pressing a kiss to his temple, "I know that. You say what you want, whenever you're ready to. I'll listen, whatever it is. Whenever you want."

Magnus hums at that, settling back in his arms, a peaceful silence descending on them as they eat fruit watching the moonlit waves.

"You know what else we can do here on the edge of this beach when there is no one else around for miles?" Magnus asks a little later as he turns around and kneels without warning, pulling his tunic up over his head.

"What?" Alec asks with a smile as he lifts his hands to smooth over Magnus' chest.

Magnus winks as he leans down beginning to unbutton Alec's shirt.


	14. Collaging

"Well, this is new."

Alec looks up from the document he's reading as Magnus lifts a photo frame from his desk, and watches his smile curl up in curiosity.

"It is," Alec agrees, pushing back from his desk a little after marking his place on the page.

"You did this?"

"Why do you sound so surprised?" Alec says, laughing as Magnus makes hushing noises at him before depositing himself in Alec's lap.

"I just had no idea you knew how to do something like this."

"Magnus," Alec says, looking at the photo frame with him as Magnus turns it, "it's just… collaging. Just an _app_. I had all these pictures, these… selfies of us, and I was… I was waiting for a meeting and… played."

There are so many photos of the two of them together that Alec had come up with four different collages before settling on this one of all his favorites. There is a first photo together in Tokyo, a beautiful one of Magnus smiling hard at Mardi Gras, the view of the Grand Canyon in the background as they posed together, and another of the two of them sleepy in their bed.

There is a picture of them laughing together at Magnus' apothecary desk, another over a shared dessert with Magnus open-mouthed waiting for Alec's extended spoon. A surprise selfie that Magnus had captured draping himself over Alec on the balcony, and one of them stood together at the Hunter's Moon that was taken by Maia.

"You know," Alec says as he secures his hand around Magnus' waist as he gets comfortable, "before _you,_ I didn't like my picture taken at all."

"You were camera shy?" Magnus asks with the biggest, most adoring smile on his face that Alec can't help smiling back at.

"Not… I just didn't like it. Everyone used to keep telling me to _smile_ more—"

"Oh, and you never smile at anything," Magnus says with reproach as he leans in to kiss him.

"Maybe _now_ I smile at anything, but I never used to."

"Yet you are so photogenic," Magnus says with a teasing wink, his eyes lighting up when he succeeds in making Alec blush.

"I don't know about _that_ —"

"Oh, believe me," Magnus tells him but doesn't add anything else, choosing instead to kiss him, which Alec has no objection to at all.

"I do have a couple of photos I don't think you've seen yet," Alec says when Magnus sits up and reaches out to put the frame back in its place.

"You do?"

Alec nods and squeezes at his hips for Magnus to stand then walks across his office to pull open a drawer, taking out a thin book.

"This is… me and Izzy when we were really small," Alec says with the page already open before he gets back to his desk.

"Alexander," Magnus says with awe, his finger ghosting over the image and a soft smile on his face, "look at you."

"This was at a formal dinner for some meeting of my dad's."

"And this is here? At the Institute? I recognize this archway."

"It is," Alec agrees, "we converted a couple of the rooms out. I think there was a couple hundred of us in the end. Izzy and I were playing chase for most of it, getting ourselves into trouble."

Magnus' smile looks in danger of splitting when he looks at him, and Alec leans in to kiss him to distract himself from blushing.

"And this one," he says as he pulls back turning another page, "this is me, Izzy, and Jace, about six months after he came to stay with us."

"This is a… picnic?" Magnus says in surprise, laughing a little to himself.

"Yeah. We look so normal, huh? So _Mundane_."

"What you _look_ is adorable," Magnus tells him, seeming torn between looking at the photo and at him. "And who would have known that cute little boy there would have turned into such a surly man?"

"I—"

"I meant _Jace_ ," Magnus teases and it makes Alec throw his head back and laugh for the tone of his voice.

"I love that you smile so much more now," Magnus tells him softly, holding Alec's gaze.

"I love that I have you to _make_ me smile so much more now."

"I can't take all the credit—"

"But you can take most of it," Alec replies, nodding to the photo collage of them on his desk.

Magnus looks between the photo frame, the book in Alec's hand, then back to Alec's face as though he doesn't know where to pause, and then is rushing at Alec and hugging him hard, nuzzling kisses into his neck.

"You okay?"

"I am," Magnus agrees, looping his arms around his waist and leaning against him. "I just… thank you, for sharing these with me."

"I share everything else with you," Alec replies with a shrug, because it's true, there are no secrets between them, only things they haven't discovered yet.

"When we get home tonight, perhaps I can show you some of the photographs of my history that you haven't already seen," Magnus says, his eyes flitting over Alec's as though he isn't sure if that would be something he wants.

"I'd love that," Alec says, leaning in for another kiss before abandoning the book to the desk and wrapping his arms around Magnus to draw him in for a longer one.


	15. Grocery Shopping

"Is it this one?"

Alec holds out the jar of pesto he thinks is the brand Magnus prefers and knows he’s got it wrong for the quick look of panic on his face before he reins it in.

"That monstrosity consists almost entirely of salt," Magnus announces, delicately taking the jar from Alec’s fingers to slide back on the shelf as though it's toxic and picking up another one in its place.

"Okay—"

"Of course, what would be _better_ would be, is if we were to portal to—"

"No portals, Magnus," Alec tells him, stepping closer and looping his arms around Magnus’ waist to tug him closer. "We said. You’re _resting_. Remember?"

He _will_ rest, Alec thinks, ready to use every tactic he knows works on Magnus to keep him from exerting himself in any way. _Most_ ways, anyway, and really he’s only thinking about magical exertion. Magnus is exhausted. In just the past three days he’s summoned two demons, sealed a rift overspilling with Shax demons, and helped heal several Downworlders when an argument between some werewolves and vampires broke out in a fight.

Though this is hardly _resting_ , Alec adds, accepting Magnus' amused kiss before he wriggles from his arms and reaches for the cart. He's been shopping with Magnus on more occasions than he can count, though _grocery_ shopping for them is not typically quite like this. It's usually _we need spices_ that prompts a portal to Crawford Market in Mumbai, or _we're almost out of olive oil_ which sparks off a round of visits to Magnus' favorite olive presses in Greece and Italy.

But instead, at Alec's request to _not strain himself,_ they're probably doing _more_ work. The first call of the day was to their own local market where Alec is sure Magnus selected every last vegetable and cut of meat by hand, and they'd only been back in the loft long enough to put those purchases away before Magnus was insisting they come here. To _Brooklyn Fare_ , not _Target_ , Alec mutters to himself for the hysterical laughter his suggestion at the latter had caused.

Alec hasn't a clue, has never really needed to go to all that many Mundane stores aside from the ones he's known since he was a kid, and the ones he's already been to with Magnus. _Target_ came up in his search for supermarkets on Google; Magnus had peppered at least a hundred kisses over his face for Alec's _pout_ for his reaction to the suggestion. Not that he actually _does_ pout, obviously.

"Once we've finished here there is a bakery that we _have_ to go to, and then I think we should have enough for the entire weekend," Magnus says as Alec squeezes his hands at his waist and moves to walk beside him.

"You promise?"

"Are you getting tired, Alexander?" Magnus teases, reaching out to squeeze his shoulder, and in doing so losing control of the cart. Alec grabs hold of it as it veers to the left, raising an amused eyebrow as Magnus laughs.

"We've been shopping for _hours_ , Magnus."

"I admit. There are infinitely more fun ways to be spending a Friday afternoon," Magnus says as they turn the corner. "But if this means we don't need to leave home again aside from emergencies until Monday morning, then a little investment of our time here is a good thing."

"Right," Alec agrees, already imagining two full, peace-filled days without interruption, fantasizing about turning off their phones and not answering the door should anyone come to call.

"Though, perhaps we should take all this home first before we go to the bakery," Magnus says with a wave over the cart.

He has a point. The cart is in danger of overflowing, and Alec is hit by the awful thought of having to carry it all on the _Subway_ to get everything home. "Uh… maybe."

"How about," Magnus says, reaching out for a bag of chips he already knows is Alec's favorite, "we finish here, take a taxi home. Then we can go out to dinner, and pick up what we need from the bakery on the way home?"

"That works," Alec agrees, helping steer the cart that has a definite mind of its own as they walk down the toiletries aisle and he pulls it to a stop to pick up a tube of toothpaste.

"Alexander," Magnus says, his voice filled with affection as he takes the tube from Alec's hand and throws it into the cart, "how is it that you know every preference for my every brand, for everything in my apartment, except when it comes to anything to do with making food from scratch?"

"Maybe because almost every time you let me cook anything _new_ , it's a total disaster?" Alec replies, covering Magnus' hands as he curls them over his shoulders, slotting his fingers in between.

Magnus barely controls his burst of laughter, even having to duck his head to do it. Alec sighs hard in exasperation but ducks just enough to press a kiss to his forehead before turning away.

"Not always, And perhaps not quite a _disaster_ —"

"Whatever, Magnus," Alec replies, turning just enough to catch him smiling hard enough to burst out in laughter again.

"I—"

"You need this too," Alec adds, picking up a can of shaving foam and handing it to him.

Magnus should not be looking quite as _touched_ as he does for being given shaving foam, Alec doesn't think. But he is, and whatever reason it's putting such softness on his face Alec will happily take. He leans in to kiss him on the cheek, squeezes his hands at Magnus' waist, then turns on his heel, going over his mental list of other things he thinks Magnus needs.


	16. Therapeutic

"So, this is the liquid soap we made yesterday?" Alec asks as he returns to the apothecary with the bowl Magnus asked him to bring through from the kitchen, carefully setting it down on the desk.

"It is," Magnus agrees, inspecting the bowl, pleased to see the way the soap has set.

He's never made soap with anyone else before, and Alec's enthusiasm for grating up the bars to do so is going to be a cherished memory for a while. As is the concentration on his face as they'd prepared it on the stove, and the way Alec insisted on continually checking on it as it cooled.

"So. We use this as the base for that amazing shampoo of yours?" Alec asks, watching as Magnus pulls a few ingredients together as well as gathers up some jars.

"It is."

"And you've been making this since the eighteenth century?"

"I have. I find it therapeutic."

"I get that," Alec agrees, smiling when Magnus looks at him.

"I was staying with some friends who were preparing sandalwood oil and powder, and the smell enchanted me enough to want to make something with it for myself."

"I'm glad you did. It smells so good."

"I'm glad you agree," Magnus smiles. "Now. Would you like to help me with this as well? Or would you prefer to watch?"

"Help," Alec says already moving around the desk to his side. "What do we need to do?"

"We need to add some of the soap to this water," Magnus says as he passes Alec a water-filled bowl.

"Straight into the bowl?"

"Yes," Magnus says, "I'll tell you when to stop."

Alec pours carefully as though he's trying to imagine the correct measurement, looking up eagerly when Magnus squeezes his arm. "That's… a lot of soap leftover."

"We can make a bottle for the bathroom and the kitchen."

"The same scent?"

"Whatever you want," Magnus smiles.

"Maybe something different for the kitchen," Alec says, holding his hand up and asking Magnus to wait as he crosses the room to start searching through the essential oils on a shelf.

"Orange blossom?" Magnus asks as Alec pushes the small bottle into his waiting hand.

"Seems like a good smell for the kitchen," Alec says with a shrug. "So. This shampoo. What do we do next?"

"Well. We need a little of this glycerin—"

"You made this too, right?" Alec asks as he picks up the bottle to inspect.

"I did. This one is from coconut oil, but you can use animal fats as well."

"I… think I like the sound of coconut oil more," Alec says as he uncaps it and waits for instructions.

"Just a little," Magnus says as he guides his wrist over the bowl, squeezing when Alec has poured enough.

"And what does that do?"

"Softens. Hydrates. Carries other ingredients."

"It's… just that much can do all that?" Alec asks as he peers into the bowl.

"Yes."

"Okay. You're the expert,” Alec says with a shrug, looking at him eagerly again. “What next?"

"Just the sandalwood," Magnus tells him. "Add a few drops then give this a stir, and then we're done."

"So. I know you had to make the glycerine and the liquid soap first, but… this is sort of easy. This part of it, anyway."

"It is," Magnus agrees as Alec carefully mixes the shampoo as though he doesn't want to spill any. "In fact, the most tricky part of this is getting it into the bottle."

"Want me to get the funnel from the kitchen?"

"I have one for this specific purpose right here," Magnus replies, moving across the room to retrieve it from another shelf.

"I hope I don't get this everywhere," Alec laughs as he puts a funnel in one of the two bottles they're filling and carefully begins to pour.

"It's perfect," Magnus says, reaching out to cap both bottles when he's finished and lifting one up to inspect before holding it out to Alec. "Here. For your _bathroom_ at the Institute."

Alec smiles and leans in to kiss him. "I know you hate my bathroom."

"It's so small," Magnus protests with a raise of his hands, "and the water pressure is—"

"Not like here," Alec finishes for him, leaning in for a kiss, "I know. But I have to shower there sometimes."

"I know."

"And even when I eventually live here permanently, I'll still keep a bottle there—if I'm still even working at the Institute. I like the—I like having reminders of you everywhere."

Magnus thinks of the omamori always in his pocket, the photo of Alec in his wallet and the one of them as the wallpaper of his cell phone. Of the first shirt Alec left in his apartment that Magnus thinks he spent an hour arranging on a hanger to put in a prominent place in his closet so he could see it every time he opened the door, and a hundred other small things besides.

"I like having reminders of you everywhere, too."

Alec smiles at that, takes the bottle from Magnus' fingers before pulling him closer for a kiss.

 


	17. Fashion

"So. Izzy suggested this, and so I hope I got this right. But if it isn't what you want then you can just tell me, and we'll do… something else."

Alec is adorable when he's this kind of nervous, Magnus thinks, recognizing the excitement that's keeping him on edge. It's the sort that means he wants to do something for Magnus that he’s researched down to the very last detail, and is still worried won’t be something he’ll like.

"Okay," Magnus says, squeezing the hand that Alec offers, then going as guided to follow him to the couch.

"So. Izzy said she saw details about this a while ago, and we… I don't, exactly, know how she did it? But she got us passes for something," Alec says, sitting though still shifting in nervous excitement, teetering on the couch's edge.

"Alexander—"

"Have you heard of the New York Fashion Show?" Alec asks, leaning forward to study his face.

Magnus keeps his expression neutral, not sure if Alec will be disappointed that this isn’t something entirely new to him. 

"I have," he replies cautiously as he smiles in encouragement for Alec to keep talking.

"Have you—have you _been_? I mean," Alec says, sitting back a little and swallowing hard, "have you… did you go before?"

Alec is always trying to find Magnus new experiences despite knowing how difficult a task that is. He is always so excited when he has, and crestfallen when he hasn’t. But he has done it this time, Magnus thinks, his chest filling with that warm affection that is distinctly  _Alec_.

"Actually, no," Magnus says with a soft smile. "I mean, I've _heard_ of it, of course. And I've _wanted_ to go to it many times. But there have always been reasons why I haven't had the chance to."

"So. You wanna go?" Alec asks with so much hope in his voice Magnus has to lean in to kiss him to put Alec at ease.

"I'd love to."

"We got this package," Alec says, leaning to the side so he can pull a carefully folded sheet of paper from his pocket. "Something about… _gift bags_ and _backstage tours_ and… something about a hospitality lounge."

"That all sounds wonderful—"

"And I don't know… Izzy's shown me some Mundane magazines so I can… maybe I can know a little bit about what to expect," Alec adds, and if that doesn't endear Magnus further. He can picture Izzy schooling Alec on the finer points of Vogue and Elle instead of working, and loves them both for it.

"Alexander. Are you sure this is… something you will like?"

Alec always looks incredible, but his taste in clothes is that effortless kind of put-together look that is practical yet simple, and happens to look so good on him. But fashion just doesn’t appeal to Alec the way it does to Magnus. He is happy to have Magnus dress him from time to time when they’re going out, but still sometimes looks a little out of his depth at whatever it is Magnus has convinced him into wearing. So Magnus doesn’t want him to be  _bored_  doing something that is strictly just for him.

"Of course not," Alec laughs, shaking his head as he reaches out to squeeze his arm, "but I wanna learn about the kinds of things _you_ like that I don't already know that much about."

"But—"

"Remember something like… three months ago, you arranged for us to go to that Mundane archery club so I could try out some different bows?" Alec asks, his fingertips brushing repeatedly over Magnus' bicep as he speaks.

"I do."

"That wasn't _your thing_ either, but you did it. So I wanted to return the favor, or something."

Alec really is the sweetest to him Magnus thinks as he tugs him a little closer so they can curl up together more comfortably.

"Thank you," he whispers against Alec's temple as he presses a kiss there.

"It's not for a few weeks, but. I thought maybe you'd wanna… I don't know. Plan stuff for it, or whatever. Maybe even pick us out something to wear. I don't know how any of this works."

"You'll let me choose something for you?" Magnus asks, always pleased when Alec lets him dress him, excited every time Alec agrees to try something new.

"Of course. I've got no idea how I'm supposed to look for this kind of thing. And I know you're gonna insist on _ironing_ whatever I wear 'cos I crease everything up so badly," Alec adds with a teasing smile.

"Then, we'll make you look irresistible," Magnus tells him as Alec shifts to get more comfortable, crinkling the paper in his hand as he moves before handing it to Magnus to read.

"Like anyone will even notice me stood next to you," Alec teases as he turns just enough to wink at him, earning himself another kiss.


	18. Mundane Day

Alec smooths down the front of his shirt and checks himself over in the mirror a little doubtfully, laughing to himself at the thought of days long gone when all he wore was black. Magnus picked this shirt, and though it's far plainer than anything Magnus would wear, its pattern is far more elaborate than anything Alec would have chosen for something like work.

The changing room cubicle is, thankfully, a little bigger than the store they were in previously, so he has room to turn around in without banging his elbows, and it even has a proper door instead of a curtain to shut himself behind. A fact that Magnus had been enthusiastic about taking advantage of until a sales assistant had cleared her throat, wagged her finger at them both, and pointed to an area where Magnus could wait.

Alec blushes immediately for remembering it but unlocks the door anyway, stepping outside and looking for Magnus. Magnus pushes back from the wall he's leaning on a few feet away, his eyes crinkling as he smiles in approval and walks towards him.

"I have always thought grey was a particularly good color on you, Alexander," Magnus says, reaching out automatically to tweak at Alec's shirt.

"You do?"

"I do. It most definitely suits you."

"I… kind of thought you'd think it wasn't much different from black."

"It is completely different," Magnus argues, his fingertips trailing down Alec's chest and lingering at his stomach for a beat before he pulls them away—possibly for the loud clearing of throat from the sales assistant still standing nearby.

"Okay."

"Definitely your color," Magnus repeats with that _look_ in his eye that makes Alec wonder if he's about to suggest they portal home. "That, and green."

Alec thinks of the three shirts remaining for him to try on in the changing cubicle and snorts with laughter. "So. You've been picking out stuff you like seeing me in?"

"That I think you look good in," Magnus amends with a wink as he reaches out to squeeze Alec's waist. "It is just an added bonus that I find you utterly irresistible in this."

Alec laughs a little harder, blush heating his throat and cheeks that Magnus seems delighted for seeing and reaches out to pat. "Magnus—"

"We should finish here, send everything home, then stop for coffee, hmm?" Magnus suggests, allowing himself one more squeeze around Alec's waist.

"I thought this was supposed to be a _Mundane day_ , Magnus," Alec teases, ducking to kiss his cheek before turning away.

"Well. If you _want_ to carry all of these with us for the rest of the day then, by all means."

Alec looks down to where Magnus is gesturing at the numerous bags and boxes already scattered around his feet and laughs. "No. Your way is fine."

"I thought you'd say that," Magnus says as Alec steps back into the changing cubicle, smiling as he locks the door behind him.

* * *

"This is so good," Alec says still with his mouth half-full of the bite of lemon cheesecake Magnus just fed him, sitting back with a contented sigh.

"I thought you would like it," Magnus replies with that slight proud smile he always has when he's introducing Alec to some new food or drink.

"Really good," Alec repeats as he takes the offered fork from Magnus' fingers and slices it through the cheesecake for another taste.

"This is somewhere I sometimes like to come with a book for a couple of hours if I want a moment to myself," Magnus adds with a nod to the coffee shop they're currently in.

There are deep cushioned couches and comfy armchairs, soft music in the background that is just the right volume not to be distracting, and several bookshelves already overflowing with books for people to borrow. Already Alec can picture the two of them sat here doing just that, curled up on one of the couches together reading new books. They've done it a few times in other cities but never here in New York, which, Alec supposes, is because they are so close to home.

"Yeah, it seems like the perfect place for that," Alec replies, taking a sip of his coffee and an immediate second for how good that it as well. "Maybe the perfect place for everything."

"Maybe," Magnus agrees, his fingers drumming against Alec's knee so he knows to turn to him, and immediately leaning in for a kiss.

Alec gives a hum of protest when he pulls away too soon, smiling for the amused raised eyebrow he receives before Magnus leans back to kiss him again. His fork clatters abandoned to the plate on the table in front of them as Magnus presses against him so Alec's pushed back in the couch, only pulling away when Alec's fingers instinctively find their way beneath his shirt.

"Sorry," Alec says with a burst of laughter as he sits back up, leaning for one last kiss before returning to his cheesecake.

"When we get home, I am all yours," Magnus tells him with a wink.

"I thought you were _mine_ all the time."

"Oh, I am," Magnus assures him, nudging into his side. "I just know if I don't stop you, you will be impossible to resist."

Alec splutters around his cheesecake and receives an affectionate pat on his back as he leans forward coughing.

"Sorry."

"No, you're not," Alec tells him, before nudging against his arm and nodding towards Magnus' own slice of cake.

* * *

"I just might have to get another bookcase," Magnus says absently as he reads the back of a book.

"You could open a library," Alec tells him, looking at the small stack they've already chosen between them even though they've only been in this bookstore less than half an hour.

"I could. An even bigger one were all the people I have loaned books to over the years to return them."

"Seriously?" Alec says, not sure the loft could take the number of books he's now imagining.

"Most definitely."

"I… suppose you have been around for some time."

"One or two years," Magnus agrees, looking at the front cover and decisively adding the book in his hand to their pile. "How would you feel about us, this evening, putting on some music and just… reading for a few hours?"

"If we can have maybe… Thai food while we're doing it, that sounds perfect," Alec replies, already planning his food choices from a familiar menu.

"You really do have a taste for pad thai," Magnus replies with an affectionate squeeze of his arm.

"I do. And that beef salad stuff."

"Yam Nua?" Magnus says, laughing.

"Maybe not quite as spicy as the last one we got. But yes."

"Then, that is what we'll do. I know the perfect New Zealand pinot gris to go with it," Magnus adds, gesturing for them to continue looking for books.

"Which are you gonna read first?" Alec asks, picking up Magnus' choices from their cart to read the backs of.

"I'm not sure. You?"

"This one," Alec says, pressing a book into Magnus' hands and watching as he reads the back of it then nods in approval.

"Thank you," Magnus says as he puts the book back in the cart and wraps an arm around Alec's waist.

"For what?"

"For a perfect day. And what I know will be a perfect evening," Magnus tells him, leaning in for a kiss.

 


	19. Laundry

It's a beautiful spring morning when the air is fresh and crisp, and Magnus is humming as he walks around the apartment taking some time to do simple chores. There are books he slots away onto his shelves, and a couple of potion bottles rinsed out and stored in their corner of his apothecary. Bedding refreshed and new towels put out, even the balcony swept over and cleaned. And his final task of the morning before Alec comes back for lunch is to put away the laundry that's currently folded up on a chair.

On the top of this pile, there are pairs of socks that are Alec's along with boxer briefs mixed in with his own. Magnus carries the pile through to the bedroom to balance at the foot of the bed, separating Alec's underwear out from his own and storing them away in two separate drawers in his closet.

Alec also has a growing collection of clothes in another closet, and once Magnus has folded his few t-shirts away he hangs up a couple of shirts, carefully tweaking at a pair of pants that don't sit right on a hanger until he glares at them. Loses that glare when he looks down in the closet and finds a pair of Alec's shoes.

He has a spare stele along with a pad of paper and a pen stashed away in the nightstand of his side of the bed. They've been there since a call in the middle of the night about a demon breach, and Alec so sleepy Magnus had conjured the notebook for him to write down what he was being told so he didn't forget it.

Magnus makes his way around the apartment becoming a little more aware of all the touches of Alec. There's a scarf hung up that Alec likes to wear when they go on impromptu early morning walks when it's bitterly cold. A collection of books that seems to be growing and flowing over to more than two shelves. A couple of photos of them both wedged into frames and corners of the living room, and another on a noticeboard in Magnus' apothecary, where Magnus finds a thumbed copy of a magazine Alec's taken to reading after an impulse purchase when they'd had their _Mundane day_ out in New York.

The bathroom is the most devoid of Alec, Magnus thinks, with the only addition being a toothbrush and Alec's preferred deodorant. Or perhaps it's in fact where Alec is most present since they share the same shampoo, shower gel, and even hair and scent products. They have slotted together so effortlessly that Magnus sometimes forgets Alec doesn't technically live here, even if here is where he spends most of his time.

He doesn't want to broach the subject, doesn't want to push what is a natural development between them that they agreed they wouldn't hurry. But standing here staring at the mirror where Alec is so often peering over his shoulder, Magnus is struck by the realization that Alec belongs here with him. It's not that he doesn't _want_ that sense of Alec belonging or even that he wasn't already aware of it, but that it's crept up on him in the most gentle of ways. Alec _fits_ with him, to the point where Magnus didn't notice the precise moment he stopped being able to sleep without him, or when they perfected their morning routine.

Magnus is still smiling about this belated discovery when Alec arrives home with a kiss to the back of his shoulder in greeting as he's making lunch, announcing that he's starving. Magnus walks through with a salad he's prepared to find Alec has emptied out his pockets on the corner of the coffee table where he usually puts his wallet and phone, and finds himself smiling for that as well.

Magnus watches as Alec returns from the bathroom chattering about his morning, searching through the fridge for a bottle of juice. He opens a cupboard with practiced ease pulling out two glasses that he fills while still talking, then turns and opens drawers for cutlery and napkins as Magnus continues to watch in delighted amusement for Alec knowing where everything is. Alec is just straightening up the coffee machine absently as Magnus finishes loading up their plates when he finally notices Magnus is watching him.

"What?" Alec asks with a curious smile as Magnus comes to stand in front of him.

"Nothing," Magnus replies as he slots his hands around his waist and sighs his way into an unhurried kiss.


	20. Bike Ride

"There's… so many people," Alec says as he slows on the bicycle Magnus conjured for him earlier, feeling a little overwhelmed by just how many Mundanes there are around.

"It's a beautiful day," Magnus replies coming to a more coordinated stop beside him than Alec's just done. "I'm sure everybody wants to be out enjoying the sunshine."

"Yeah," Alec says with a doubtful squint up at the sun, rolling his shoulders, "it's… hotter than I thought."

"Too hot?" Magnus asks with worry already on his face as he checks Alec over. He's been insisting on stopping every thirty minutes to reapply sunblock. And even though part of it's surely because he's _enjoying_ being so thorough rubbing it into him, the look of concentration on Magnus' face when he does it has Alec holding back his laughter every time.

"Just warmer than I expected, is all," Alec says, trying to reassure him.

"Then we should stop for something to drink," Magnus replies, hands braced on the handlebars as he looks around them deciding on a direction for them to head. Alec studies the fingerless gloves he's wearing and the dark blue polish on his nails, smiling at the familiar absent tap of his thumb against the bar as he chooses.

The view is beautiful, Alec decides, even if he's not used to so many people. It's not like some of the beaches he's been to with Magnus across the world, nor is it his favorite place. But there's something about the general sense of _happy_ that's comforting along this stretch of sand.

"I think I know the perfect place," Magnus says, calling Alec's attention again. "We can get something to drink, and they have excellent sorbets. Perfect for cooling down in this weather."

"Sounds good."

"Did you not like the temperature in Alicante? In Idris?" Magnus asks with obvious curiosity as he nods for Alec to follow him.

"Magnus," Alec laughs as they begin cycling again side by side, "it wasn't like… it's not like we had a lot of vacation time when we were there."

"None at all?"

"Well," Alec says, going to wipe a tickling bead of sweat from his forehead and almost coming off his bike in the process. "I mean, we had a few afternoons. Got ice cream a couple of times."

"How disappointing," Magnus teases. "All this time I've been cultivating an image of you and Izzy building sandcastles, when now you're telling me that isn't the case at all."

"I… did graffiti some walls once outside one of my dad's chamber meetings."

"You did?"

Alec laughs for the surprise in Magnus' voice and nods when he looks at him. "I mean. I was _five_. And they left me alone with crayons. They were kind of asking for it."

"What did you draw?"

"Dragons," Alec laughs, turning the bike a little when Magnus points which way to go. "I don't know. I had a thing about dragons when I was little, for _years_. Mom got me this series of Mundane books and I… yeah. I loved 'em."

Alec only catches a glimpse of Magnus' expression, but it's that same one he has about three seconds before telling him he's _adorable_. Alec smiles helplessly when he hears it, ducking his head so he doesn’t have to explain why he’s so close to laughing. 

"Let's get you in the shade," Magnus says when they've come to a stop, holding on to the handlebars of Alec's bike before he can move and leaning in to kiss him in the middle of the path.


	21. Redecorate

"How about garnet?" 

Alec watches Magnus perform a complicated series of moves before magic bursts from his hands, making the entire living room shift into a theme with deep red walls.

"It's… nice," Alec says, even if he thinks it's a little dark.

"Too dark?" Magnus asks with a knowing raise of his eyebrow that Alec smiles for seeing.

"Maybe a little—"

"What about forest green?"

Alec watches the progression of his latest suggestion and wonders how many changes they'll go through until Magnus is happy. "I don't know, Magnus."

"You spend so much time here. You _live_ here without making it a formality," Magnus adds with a soft smile. "Don't you think you should have an opinion on the place that is your home?"

Alec likes that thought even if he does still keep a room at the Institute. And he loves it every time Magnus refers to the loft as his home. And Magnus has a point here too, about having an opinion on the place. Alec crosses the room and inspects the wall color more closely, wrinkling up his nose. "It's… maybe a little lighter?"

"But of course," Magnus replies, and in the space of a few minutes they go through _apple white, butter yellow,_ and _granite grey_ , settling on something _he_ thinks is cream, but Magnus is adamant has a much more elaborate name.

"Don't you ever want to do this by hand?" Alec asks as Magnus sinks down beside him on the couch, still turning his head and humming in approval at the new color. "I mean, I know you tidy up by hand. But—"

"As you like to clean by hand when you are thinking," Magnus points out.

"That's just because I _can_ only do it by hand," Alec teases as he leans into his side, waggling his fingers at him. "I don't have magic in my fingers."

"Not yet," Magnus says softly as he reaches out to tangle them through his own, and they share a look for all the future that is ahead of them. It steals Alec's breath for the thought of it for a second but then he's reining it in, concentrating on the moment just as Magnus constantly asks him to.

"And I'm sure when I _do_ I'll want to try everything. But don't you ever wanna… I don't know, Magnus. Don't you ever want to just… paint by hand?"

"Do _you_?" Magnus counters with a disbelieving raised eyebrow.

"Not really," Alec admits with a soft laugh. "It's something we… Magnus. I've only ever lived in the Institute, and I had no say in what it looked like. I didn't even get to choose where to put stuff in my room. Like my bed, or bookshelves, or anything. It was just _done_."

"Even as a child?" Magnus asks sounding horrified, which Alec only shrugs for. "Well, no wonder you want to decorate here."

"Magnus, I don't—"

"We can paint everything," Magnus says, pulling Alec to his feet. "We can go to a store, choose paint, and brushes, and—"

"Magnus," Alec says, laughing as he pulls him into his arms, "I didn't… I don't need that."

"But you would like to do something by hand."

"Well," Alec says, stroking his hands down Magnus' back and squeezing his ass, "maybe _some_ things."

"Alexander," Magnus says, his voice full of the smile that's lighting up his face, "you are—"

"Kidding. I mean, I'm _not_ ," Alec says, leaning in for a soft, slow kiss that Magnus sighs into and practically melts against him throughout. "I just… I was curious, is all."

"Why don't we change the soft furnishings?" Magnus says looking delighted with himself for having the idea, gripping Alec around the waist as he leans back.

"Like?"

"You know. Pillows. Blankets. Bedding sets. Towels—"

"We don't have to—"

"Nonsense," Magnus insists, kissing him and turning away with that gleeful look on his face that says he's planning. "We'll go shopping this instant—"

"Magnus—"

"Then when we go to sleep tonight it will be between new sheets and on new pillows—"

"We don't need—"

"But I want to," Magnus says as he steps forward to squeeze his fingers. "I want to go shopping with you."

There is a soft look in Magnus' eyes that says this isn't something he _wants_ , but it is something he _needs_. And Alec has a fleeting moment of imagining Magnus setting up home with people knowing one day they'll be gone. How many times he's had to do that Alec doesn't know, can only see from the look in his eyes how much each of those times has hurt.

That will not be their story. There is no _end_ in sight for either of them, and though marriage, and home, and immortality are all things in their future together, it _is_ a future they get to have. And there are aspects of that they can have _now_.

Alec leans in to kiss him and nods, turns when Magnus takes his hand and raises his free one to open a portal, nudging into his arm as they step through.

***

 

 


	22. Shirt Sleeves

"Can I borrow a shirt?"

"Since when have you started asking?" Magnus laughs, stroking his fingertips along Alec's spine and watching him shiver.

"Your closet. It's all the way over _there_ ," Alec says with a vague gesture across the room. Alec is sprawled out on Magnus' stomach apparently in no mood to get ready for work.

"You want me to… bring one here?"

"I don't want to move," Alec says with an absent kiss against a rib, his fingers gripping a little tighter around Magnus' waist.

"Any particular reason?" Magnus asks as he pushes the hair back from Alec's forehead, and okay, perhaps checking his temperature as he does it to check this lethargy isn't because Alec is unwell.

"You're _comfortable_."

"Oh," Magnus replies, fighting hard to keep his laughter tucked behind a smile, though squeezes Alec closer as he plays with his hair.

"And you're home today," Alec adds, stirring his chin against Magnus' stomach before he looks up and smiling, knowing exactly what stubble does against Magnus' skin.

"Not _all_ day—"

"But you'll be here. In bed. When I'm _working_ ," Alec adds petulantly, though the way he's wriggling against him is anything but petulant.

"Only for this morning."

"Still," Alec says with a sigh as he pushes himself up on his palms and hovers over him. "My morning would be _much_ better if I could stay with you."

"Good morning," Magnus says as Alec leans in to kiss him. "And yes, it would. Perhaps we can make up for it when you next take a day off."

"Call in sick for me," Alec whispers lurching towards his nightstand and picking up his phone.

"Alexander—"

"I'm kidding," he laughs, "I mean, I'm also _not_ kidding. But I've got at least three things I can't avoid doing this morning."

"Then, we should find you a shirt," Magnus says, smiling as Alec grumbles his way into his neck and holds on tight.

"Okay," Alec sighs, pulling back and pulling Magnus out of bed with him, "help me choose."

"You want me to choose what you're wearing to the Institute?"

"Yes," Alec replies, though seems far from interested in that for the way he immediately cups Magnus' face to pull him in for another kiss.

"You could always go like _this_ ," Magnus suggests as he sweeps his hands down Alec's bare chest.

"Your eyes only," Alec whispers with a kiss to his cheek, tugging on his fingers again to drag him across the room.

"I should hope so."

"So. What time are you leaving today?" Alec asks as he searches through a drawer for a pair of boxers and pulls down a pair of pants from a hanger as Magnus looks through his shirts.

"Not until two."

"I wish I was free at lunch. Then I could come home," Alec says as he buttons himself up.

"You have that meeting with Aline?"

"Yeah," Alec says with a sigh, leaning back against the closet door watching Magnus. "Something about a guy coming to shadow us next month."

"Shadowing a Shadowhunter. I'm intrigued," Magnus teases, earning himself a disgruntled huff and a kiss to his shoulder.

"Mom says he's okay. Says she's worked with him a couple of times."

"Then, I hope his visit will be a pleasant one for you all," Magnus says, finding a navy shirt with a discreet pattern on it that he thinks will look perfect on Alec. "Try this one."

"Are you gonna do your thing with the sleeves?"

"When you have it on, yes," Magnus replies, watching as Alec dresses and the two of them not breaking eye contact for a second. Though once he's got the shirt on Magnus bats his hands away to button the shirt himself, snapping his fingers and adjusting the cuffs with a pleased hum.

"I don't get it," Alec says as he holds his arms out to inspect.

"You don't like the shirt?"

"I love the shirt. Thank you," he adds leaning in for a kiss.

"Then what don't you get?"

"These things," Alec says, reaching out suddenly to grab at Magnus' biceps and squeezing.

"I—"

"Sometimes you put a shirt on and you can't tell just how _big_ you are."

"You—"

"And other times," Alec adds as he crowds closer, "I don't get how you get your arms in your shirts in the first place. Is it velcro, or something?"

Magnus opens his mouth to speak but nothing comes out, watching instead the delighted look spreading over Alec's face. Probably for just how hard he's blushing; Magnus reaches up to play with an earcuff he's yet to put on and is stopped by Alec snagging his fingers and turning his hand over to kiss his palm.

"Maybe you put magic in the stitching or something," Alec teases as he crowds closer still, sweeping his hands down Magnus' back and cupping his ass.

Being pressed up against a fully dressed Alec while he's still naked himself has Magnus stirring a little, which Alec obviously feels for the way he looks down between them with a smirk.

"We could do something about that."

"And make you miss your meeting? I wouldn't dream of it," Magnus teases, though mouths over Alec's neck rune encouraging him to go nowhere at all.

"Maybe you should… do something about that," Alec says as he presses Magnus back against the closet door.

"I—"

"You're in no hurry to go anywhere," Alec points out, "and I could do with _something_ to distract me at work."

"You… want me to… send you _pictures_?"

"Magnus," Alec teases, "there's no need to sound _that_ scandalized. Not like you've never sent me anything before."

"Hopefully not for you to open in other company."

"Like I'd want to share anything about you with anyone else," Alec whispers just behind his ear in the exact spot he knows will make him shiver.

"Or, we can wait until this evening when you get home," Magnus suggests, watching Alec's smile widen for his promise.

"That works too."

"I'll be done by about eight."

"I should be back before then. Want me to pick up something for dinner? Or make something?"

"Whatever you decide," Magnus replies, sweeping his hands up Alec's arms and squeezing.

"Okay," Alec agrees with a final kiss before pulling away. "I'll see you later. Have a good day."

"You too," Magnus replies, following Alec to the doorway of the bedroom and peering around it to watch him leave.

Magnus checks his phone before climbing back into bed, pausing as he goes to pull the comforter over and looking down at himself, still obviously _interested_. "You can wait," he tells himself sternly as he tucks himself back in, before sending a quick message to Alec about how he can't wait to have him back home.


	23. Grilling Traditions

"Okay. I think these are ready," Alec announces as he takes the final kebob from the grill to plate up, looking around in search of Magnus.

"They smell delicious," Magnus says as he steps out of the villa they're staying in for the weekend and looks down at the plates.

"Maybe you could get us some of that sweet chili sauce you like," Alec suggests as he picks the plates up and gestures over to the table for them to sit so they can look out over the view of the beach below.

"You are exceptional with this grill. If I had known this was the kind of food you would be making I would have got us a grill for the apartment."

"Maybe this is better here with the view. And the space," Alec adds, thinking of the plume of smoke he'd sent up when first setting up the grill, and how that wouldn't go down too well on the balcony.

"Perhaps. Still, this looks wonderful, Alexander. Thank you."

"You're welcome," Alec says as he sits down, immediately reaching out to clink their glasses together. 

"I have fond memories of something my mother used to make using a similar technique," Magnus adds as he picks up the kebob by its skewer ends and takes a bite, humming for the flavor. "This is perfect."

"What did she make?" Alec asks as he spoons sweet chili sauce over his own kebob.

"A kind of fish dish, though I forget the name of the fish. But these spices you have used are similar, and the vegetables to accompany it as well."

"We can… try to recreate it if you want," Alec offers, unsure if it's a good suggestion or not. He loves hearing Magnus' memories but also knows there are some he needs to keep to himself for the pain they stir up; usually ones involving his childhood.

"We could try."

"Or we could make our own version."

"Our own tradition?" Magnus suggests with a small smile, already reaching for another skewer.

"How'd you finish that already?" Alec asks, laughing and still only halfway through his own. 

"It's good. And I'm starving," Magnus replies, smiling at him over the kebob and positioning it so the bell pepper in the middle looks like a mustache.

"It'd be good," Alec says with a smile as he watches Magnus take another bite, glad to see he's enjoying their meal so much.

"What will?"

"Us. Having traditions."

They already do in a lot of ways. There are sleepy Sunday afternoons sprawled out on the couch with books, and a hotel they like to go to in Paris when they want to be alone. If either of them is working late and they can't spend the evening together they trade messages embellished with emojis and kisses, and when either has a bad day there is certain food, and affection, and comfort that's become a tradition all of its own.

"I like that we are building all these _traditions_ together," Magnus says as he puts down the kebob and smiles at him softly over their meal.

Alec can't imagine what it must be like for Magnus, to love, and love, and love again, knowing he'll have to lose those loves one day. To build routines and _traditions_ with people that get to spend their lives with him when he can't do the same with them. It's heartbreaking even trying to imagine it, and it's one of the many reasons he's chosen the future that he has.

There are other reasons of course, that are entirely selfish, things he wants solely for himself he can't get in just one lifetime. There is so much to see and do that Alec never thought he'd allow himself, and there are so many _changes_ he hopes he can contribute to bringing to their world. Immortality is going to give them both so _much_ , and all the possibilities for traditions they can build together is one of the most exciting things for Alec about it—even the possibility of recreating a fish dish.

"Me too," Alec says, hearing the thoughts in Magnus' mind without him having to say a word. He stands up and gestures for Magnus to push his chair back a little then moves his plate around the table before dropping into his lap. 

Eating kebobs one-handed in between dipping them in sauce is messy, and silly, and far more fun than Alec had imagined. And for the look of joy on Magnus' face worth every second of it, sticky fingers, spilled sauce and all.


	24. A Friendly Face

"Hey."

Alec's instant smile for Magnus as he looks up from his desk puts him at ease, especially when he doesn't get two paces through the doorway before Alec is across the room and pulling him into a hug.

"I didn't expect to see you today," Alec adds as he pulls back to grip his waist lightly and lean in for a kiss. "Everything okay?"

"A difficult client," Magnus admits still seething a little from the rudeness of the man. "I needed to see a friendly face."

"And you thought of mine?" Alec asks, immediately pulling a ridiculous face just to make him smile.

 _That_. That is exactly what he needed, Magnus thinks, smiling back with a nod before dropping his forehead on Alec's shoulder.

"Was it… that bad?" Alec asks, circling soothing palms over his back as Magnus shuffles forward.

"Just obnoxious, belittling, and curt."

"You ever get the urge to… _not_ give your clients what they want?" Alec asks, squeezing Magnus' fingers before walking away to grab another chair that he settles beside his own at his desk.

This is one of their _traditions_ , Magnus thinks as he watches him. If Magnus needs a break from his day and Alec can't leave the Institute there is a spot by his side in Alec's office if he wants to just drop by to talk.

"What do you mean?" he asks once he's settled in his seat.

"Well," Alec says, squeezing Magnus' thigh as he sits down beside him, "like, if they're rude or something. You ever want to just… I don't know. Jinx them or something? Not with anything really bad, but like… I don't know. Something?"

"The Mundanes have these joke shops where you can buy everything from whoopie cushions to itching powder. I've often thought of using tactics like _those_."

"I… do I wanna know what either of those things are?" Alec asks, smiling as Magnus snaps his fingers to make two coffees appear on his desk.

"I guess not."

"But… you never got the urge to do anything worse?"

"Oh. Numerous times," Magnus admits as he takes a sip of his coffee and smiles around it.

"I wouldn't blame you. Feel like doing that sometimes myself, and I don't even _have_ magic. Not yet, anyway."

They haven't quite settled on the _how_ of Alec becoming immortal yet, though they have struck many ideas from the list. They know he'll need to become a warlock of sorts, though haven’t decided anything beyond that. Once he is one, Alec might have powers, might have a mark, or might have any number of things they can't know about before it happens. Or, he might not have any of these things at all aside from immortality, which, given that is the whole purpose of him becoming a warlock, doesn't bother Alec at all. Mostly, Alec is excited by the prospect, or at the very least intrigued, and it's Magnus that worries unnecessarily when they _can't_ know what to expect.

"How many people have you threatened to send to Wrangel Island this week?"

"I wouldn't say _threatened_. More… _insinuated_ ," Alec replies with a wink that leaves Magnus grinning. "And only two."

"This is just what I needed," Magnus tells him, reaching out to squeeze Alec's shoulder as he gestures that he needs to get back to his paperwork.

"What, this? Sitting here while I read through this and… probably end up doing a bunch of other boring stuff?"

"Yes."

“Hey,” Alec says, reaching out then and squeezing Magnus’ thigh as he picks up his phone, “this will make you smile.”

“Oh?” Magnus says, already leaning in and against his arm.

“You know Underhill, right?”

“I do,” Magnus agrees, thinking fondly of the Shadowhunter that is slowly becoming Alec’s friend.

“Well,” Alec says as he taps at the screen then sits back with a soft laugh and leans into him. “He sent me these this morning. Remember that really fluffy kitten you wanted us to think about keeping?”

“I do,” Magnus says again with a wistful sigh, thinking of the bundle of multi-colored fluff that so often fell asleep in the crook of his arm. He wants a cat then, desperately, and considers visiting the warlocks that adopted their other kittens, knowing that will also lift him out of this mood.

“ _Look_ ,” Alec says with a burst of affection, and together they scroll through several pictures of that bundle of fluff Underhill has named  _Pickle_ , as it clambers over furniture and limbs growing steadily larger. There is a beautiful picture of Pickle asleep in the neck of a man Magnus assumes must be Underhill’s boyfriend. His eyes are wide with delight as he cradles the kitten close so he won’t fall.

“You’re right. That  _does_  make me smile.”

“We should check up on all the others,” Alec says then, turning to Magnus and leaning in for a kiss.

“Yes. We should.”

“Maybe at the weekend,” Alec adds, reaching out to cup his face before he turns and smiles at the screen again. 

“We could do that. But,” Magnus says, nuzzling against Alec’s shoulder and nodding towards his desk, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to keep you from work. Thank you, though, for trying to cheer me up.”

Alec smiles at that, leans in to kiss him, and picks up his pen. "Well. If you get bored, Izzy's experimenting with something in her lab, and Clary and Jace are out in the courtyard practicing with some new runes."

"I'll keep that in mind," Magnus replies, though has no intention of going anywhere. He could happily sit here by Alec's side watching him as he works all day, rewarded with occasional smiles for his company, and even kisses in between turns of pages.

Though as always happens when they're together like this, Alec's hand gravitates towards his lap where it curls through his own, and Magnus can't resist raising it up to kiss the back of. Alec turns to him with another smile and nudges against his arm.

"Tell me about this rude client of yours."


	25. Working Late

Alec wakes with a jolt from a dream about Daleks, reaching across the bed for Magnus and finding him gone. He raises his head and listens, then drags himself from the bed with a stretch, stumbling around until he finds a discarded pair of boxers and throws them on.

Magnus is in his apothecary, hunched over his desk with his robe gaping open, a slight frown furrowing his forehead as he concentrates on a potion.

"Are you working?" Alec asks as he walks into the room, coming to stand behind Magnus to peer over his shoulder.

"Yes. This needs very precise amounts of ingredients added at very precise intervals. If I am out by anything more than a second the entire potion will need to be started over."

"So, why did you decide to do it in the middle of the night?" Alec asks, watching the careful way Magnus uses tweezers to pull out some kind of seed from a jar.

"I didn't. I prepared the base ingredients for steeping overnight yesterday, and could have begun adding these others at any time."

"And… you chose the middle of the night because...?"

"I had a nightmare," Magnus says after hesitating, his shoulders first tensing then slumping for his confession.

"Magnus. What happened to you waking me any time something like that happens?"

"You looked so peaceful. And besides, you hardly had any sleep yourself last night. I was hoping for you to catch up."

"And… how am I supposed to do that without you in bed with me?" Alec asks, earning himself a soft smile over Magnus' shoulder before he gets back to work. "I'm gonna make you a drink."

"Alexander. Go back to bed."

"Nope," Alec tells him, dropping a kiss on the top of his head. "Tea? Hot chocolate? Something else?"

"I don't mind."

"How much longer do you need to do this for?" Alec asks, gently gripping his shoulders.

"No more than an hour."

"Hot chocolate it is."

Magnus laughs, mumbling a _thank you_ in response as Alec leaves.

Alec takes two mugs down from a cupboard as he heats through a pan of milk, measuring out the hot chocolate they bought from a place in Switzerland a couple of months earlier as he waits. As an afterthought, he goes through to Magnus' cocktail table to grab the bourbon he likes and goes back to check on the milk.

He puts away the plates and cutlery they'd used for dinner last night since he'd insisted on washing up by hand, gives the milk another stir and turns off the heat. Alec makes the chocolate stirring it carefully until everything is dissolved. Then pours in a measure of bourbon that he knows Magnus will approve of and tidies up after himself, carrying their mugs through to find Magnus working just as hard.

"If I talk to you, is it going to distract you?" Alec asks as he slides the mugs down on the desk and hovers, waiting to see what Magnus wants.

"I'd love that, but only if you're not too tired."

"Not at all," Alec replies, already tugging over another chair.

They talk about work, about the evening they're planning in Paris, Luke's pack, a problem Raphael is having with a new vampire, and everything else in between. Alec constantly prompts Magnus to pause whenever he can to sip at his drink, passing ingredients when guided. He rests his hand on Magnus' back when he sighs with tiredness hoping the warmth of it will soothe him, and thumbs away hot chocolate from the corner of his mouth when he looks in his direction.

"Is it done?" he asks when Magnus stretches and pushes the potion away from him.

"Almost. I just need to sit, and watch, and make sure it doesn't become volatile."

"But you don't need to do anything else?"

"Aside from watch, no," Magnus says as he rolls his shoulders and sits back as though he has a crick in his neck.

"Good," Alec says as he stands up and grabs Magnus' chair, pulling it back just a couple of inches so he can still reach the desk.

"Alec—"

"Off," Alec insists, tugging at his robe.

"But—"

" _Off_."

Magnus turns to look at him and sighs even though he's smiling, pushing the robe back from his shoulders with a wink of tease.

"Better," Alec says pressing a kiss behind his ear in the exact spot he knows will make him shiver. Then begins to massage his shoulders working out all the knots there with just the pressure he knows Magnus likes.

There is a noise of sheer bliss Magnus always makes when he's tired like this, and Alec finds himself grinning hard for it the moment his thumb gets the right spot at the base of his neck. Magnus arches his head away in invitation for a repeat of it that Alec can't resist kissing over first before circling his thumb again.

"You are so good at that," Magnus says with a sigh.

"I hope so."

"Believe me," Magnus says with a hard blasted out huff, "there is no one who has ever given me massages like you do."

Alec doesn't mean to preen at that but does anyway, safe from Magnus noticing because of how he's sat. Alec strokes his fingers featherlight down Magnus' neck until he shivers then kisses a path up the back of it before beginning his massage again.

"Are you ready to come back to bed?" Alec asks with his hands squeezing over Magnus' shoulders a little later when he seems happy that the potion is ready.

" _Yes_ ," Magnus replies, tilting his head back to smile up at him tiredly.

Alec helps him to his feet and wraps his arms around from behind as he walks Magnus to the bathroom, washing his hands for him in the sink. "This soap still smells amazing," Alec says once he's dried Magnus' hands and begins washing his own, inhaling the orange blossom scent of the soap they made a little while ago.

"It does keep the scent very well," Magnus agrees, barely stifling a yawn as he nuzzles into Alec's shoulder.

They brush their teeth side by side with sleepy smiles on their faces, and Alec laughs as Magnus drops his forehead against his shoulder with a huff. Then he's guiding him to bed and smiling up at the ceiling as Magnus settles on his chest, hugging him close as he instantly falls asleep.


	26. Family

"Is she sleeping?" Magnus whispers as Alec creeps back into the living room, smiling as he slumps down next to him still holding a tiny pair of socks.

"Yeah," Alec says, as he nuzzles against him and ducks under his arm. "Her feet were too cold to sleep. And apparently, _flower_ socks don't help you sleep, but _tiger-striped_ ones do."

Magnus watches Alec hold the socks up to inspect then ball them up, a soft smile on his face as he looks at them

"Well. I don't remember _that_ being on Catarina's list of instructions."

"I can't believe she even _gives_ us instructions," Alec laughs, unballing the socks again to look at as though he's fascinated. "This is like the… fifth? Sixth time she's stayed over now?"

"It is. But I suppose it's only natural for Catarina to… fuss."

"You know," Alec says, balling up the socks once again and turning until his face is half-pressed in Magnus' neck, his arm slotted around his waist, "Max hates being too warm when he's trying to sleep. Hates pajamas, and he'd never in a million years put _socks_ on to go to bed in, even in the middle of winter."

"Really," Magnus replies, picturing Alec and Izzy taking care of Max when they were younger and smiling for those images.

"Yeah," Alec agrees with a kiss to his neck. "And he… when he was really little, he wouldn't sleep unless one of us read him a story. Usually me, or Izzy."

Magnus wraps his arms a little more securely around Alec drawing him closer, warmth in his chest for imagining Alec reading bedtime stories. "What kinds of stories does he like? _Did_ he like?"

"Well," Alec says with another kiss as he slips his hand beneath Magnus' shirt to wrap around his waist. "Anything to start with. I think he just liked hearing voices when he was falling asleep. But then stuff about… I don't know. Dragons—we went through all of my old books for a while—and battles, and… once, I made up a story about a knight defending a castle and he liked it so much he actually asked to go to bed early so he could hear more of it."

"You made stories up for him?" Magnus asks, so enamored by the idea of it that he squeezes Alec tighter and presses kisses wherever he can reach.

"Yeah," Alec says, laughing. "And then, a kid in one of his classes told him it was _babyish_ to like bedtime stories, so we had to stop."

"Oh. That's awful."

"Well, kind of," Alec says, pulling back just enough to look up at him. "I think we lasted two whole nights without any kind of story, but then he wasn't sleeping well at all. So we changed it a little. We stopped _telling_ him stories, and kind of… I remember Max being tucked up in bed and Izzy sat on one side of him, with me on the other. And our parents coming in to make us leave because we'd got so engrossed in acting out this story we were making up as we went that we'd been with him almost an hour."

Magnus doesn't think it's possible to be smiling harder than he already is. But now he's struck with the image of the three Lightwood siblings re-enacting epic battles in cute pajamas tucked up in bed together, he's fairly sure it's something he's not going to be able to shift from his mind.

"You're adorable," he announces, ducking to press kisses over Alec's cheeks the second they fill with blush. Alec pulls himself up a little more on the couch and wraps him up in a hug.

Magnus sighs his way into it, resting his head against Alec's as he lets his mind wander again, though telling himself not to think too hard. "You enjoyed taking care of Max?"

"I did," Alec agrees with a slight nod against him. "Even the fights we had trying to get him to take his bottle when he was sick, or… diapers the color of ichor."

"I always knew the Shadowhunter view of nutrition would result in an unfavorable outcome," Magnus teases, smiling at the huff of laughter against his neck.

"Yeah, well. I don't know if it's _nutrition_ , or not, but… you should've seen Izzy's face the first time she tried to change him. Maybe you heard her _yelling_ from wherever you were in the world when it was happening."

Magnus bursts out laughing and presses further kisses into Alec's neck, closing his eyes. "Diaper changing is an art form."

"You've changed a lot?" Alec asks, pulling back and smiling at him curiously.

"Not as many as you might imagine for how very old I am."

"But you've changed some," Alec says, a little more insistent as his eyes dart over Magnus' face.

"A few. Not very well, I might add," Magnus replies, laughing as a memory comes to him. "I once was not quick enough after a… let's just say my young charge had time to roll over and begin to drag themselves towards an open fire by the time I had managed to roll up the… soiled diaper."

"That bad?"

"Alexander. I thought the child had eaten nothing but tar."

Alec snorts with laughter, sitting up just enough to reach for their cups of tea that they'd been drinking before Madzie had come out to announce she couldn't sleep. Magnus snaps his fingers so the tea is warm enough to drink, and Alec shakes his head, smiling to himself.

"What?"

"If you can snap your fingers and make tea warm again, why would you not do the same to change _diapers_?"

"Oh," Magnus says, looking away and smiling, "believe me. On more than one occasion I did. But I always wanted the experience of doing it for myself."

Alec is studying him. Magnus recognizes the expression for the set of his jaw, the way his eyes are darting over his face repeatedly, and the very corners of his lips are curved up in a smile. "Did you… Magnus, have you ever had children?"

"I—"

"I mean, I know you _can't_ ," Alec adds, bringing up the reminder of previous conversations they'd had about what it is to be a warlock and the kinds of things that means he can and can't do. "But like… adopting, or something? Have you… did you ever do that?"

"Oh," Magnus says, forcing away further memories of wistful thoughts he's had in the past of raising his own children, "it hasn't really ever been something that's been a possibility for me."

"Magnus," Alec says with a soft smile as he leans in to kiss his cheek, "you've been in… long relationships with people before. Plenty of them."

"True. But—"

"How come you never had a family with any of them?" Alec asks, and it's insistent but also soft in that way of speaking to him without pushing too hard. No one else quite gets that tone with Magnus like Alec does.

"Well," Magnus says, as he tries to find the best way to organize his thoughts, "it's… those relationships were not… I suppose none of them were the right circumstances for that to happen."

There are so many reasons, Magnus thinks, remembering long stretches of life lived in the same place with some people, and other relationships that seemed to happen only when traveling. Even on the rare occasions where he's been settled somewhere like he is currently here, none of the timing had ever been right to think of an extended family.

"But you think… maybe we could… maybe the circumstances could be right with _us_ some day?" Alec asks, continuing to search his face.

Things _are_ different with Alec, Magnus knows this. Even if all the times he's thought about _why_ they are different have never given him a clear answer. There have been discussions of their future that have left Magnus hopeful like he's never dared to be hopeful in any relationship in his past. But he hasn't got around to hoping for a _family_ with Alec.

"What do you mean?" Magnus asks, not wanting to be letting his imagination run riot and come to conclusions that are not what Alec is intending to say.

"I mean," Alec says, leaning in to kiss him, "when… _later_ , when we… you know. In _our_ future. You think that's something you might want with me? A family?"

"Would that be something you want with _me_?" Magnus asks, his heart already pounding and his eyes filling with unwanted tears.

Alec opens his mouth to speak but since he's still studying his face so hard Magnus knows Alec's spotted those tears. Alec leans in to kiss him, dropping their foreheads together with a soft sigh before pulling back and nodding. "Of course it is."

"You… we'll have children someday?" Magnus asks again, because that seems an impossible thing for Alec to want with him.

Alec reaches up to cradle his face, smiling in that soft way he does when he wants to take away all the sources of Magnus' sadness, and nods, pressing a kiss to his forehead. "We will."


	27. Pandemonium

"You're starting to blend right in. A couple of years from now and people will forget you were ever any different."

" _Different_?" Alec says, raising an eyebrow at Izzy as she hides a smile behind her glass.

"You know. Less uptight."

"Izzy—"

"It's a _good_ thing," Izzy insists, her eyes sweeping over Alec in fascination as they have been doing ever since she, Clary, and Jace arrived at Pandemonium.

He doesn't look _that_ different, Alec is sure he doesn't. Okay, sure, the pants are a _little_ tighter than he's used to, and okay, the shirt is a _lot_ more open at the neck bearing more of his chest than he would normally choose. But it's green, a color Magnus insists is one of his favorites on him, and his pants are black, so it really _isn't_ all that different a look for him.

Okay, so perhaps there's a nail polish on his fingers that's almost black with a hint of green to match that shirt. And yes, there is kohl beneath his eyes as well as two matching rings on opposite knuckles, but they're understated, not overly lavish in any way.

"You look _good_ , Alec," Izzy tells him again with an affectionate squeeze of his elbow.

"I'll say," Clary agrees as she rejoins them leaning in to stare at his eyes a little harder. "I _need_ to know that brand. One patrol and I look like I've been watching Bambi or something on repeat."

"I—Magnus'll tell you," Alec stutters out, torn between feeling self-conscious for the effort he's put into his appearance this evening and being proud. That, and the _look_ Magnus had given him when he'd finished getting ready, meaning however these next few hours go something very good will be happening the second they get home.

"You think Magnus can do something about _this_?" Jace asks as he walks up behind them holding out Clary's drink and shaking his head to draw Alec's attention to it.

"To what?"

" _This_ ," Jace insists in frustration. Alec looks over his face, his hair, and then his face again, and hasn't got a clue what he's talking about.

"Jace's hair changed color when we were on a patrol last week and we got a jinx fired at us," Clary says with a laugh as she leans into Jace's side and reaches up to sweep hair back from his forehead.

"I'm basically an orange," Jace adds in pure disgust.

Alec thinks he's either exaggerating or the light is doing something to his eyes, but can't see anything all that different. It's not like he's not seen Jace almost every day this week either, so whatever is up with his _hair_ can't be that big a deal.

"What _have_ you been doing?"

Alec turns a little as Magnus joins them watching the way he leans back and pivots on his heel as he stares at Jace's head with a grimace.

" _See_?" Jace says, exasperated at Alec as he gestures at Magnus. "My own parabatai doesn't notice when—"

"Oh, don't be so dramatic," Magnus chides, snapping his fingers to conjure a mist of blue magic that he pulses before sending in Jace's direction.

"Seriously? It's better?" Jace asks, running his fingers through his hair and dodging around looking for a mirror.

"I don't know if _better_ , but it's back to _normal_ ," Magnus mutters, conjuring him a handheld mirror for a few seconds then snapping it away again.

"Pandemonium's looking really good, Magnus," Clary says as she looks around them with a smile. "It's changed a little since I was here last, but it looks great."

"Thank you, Biscuit. Now," he says, beckoning them to follow, "I know you might want _mingle_ , but come with me first. Otherwise you will have nowhere to sit all night."

Magnus takes Alec's hand as he leads them all over to a slightly raised platform that overlooks the dancefloor and bars. There are two couches at an angle side by side, with Magnus nodding for Alec to sit down on one as his siblings settle on the other. Magnus sits beside him, ever graceful after answering a question of an approaching Seelie, his hand slipping behind Alec's back to his waist to tug him a little closer.

"Try these," Magnus says as a waiter appears with a tray of tall flute glasses filled with a green cocktail Alec doesn't think he's seen before.

Alec knocks his glass against Magnus' and takes a sip, nodding in approval and earning himself a pleased smile. Clary asks a question about the decor and it turns into an easy, unhurried conversation between the five of them, with Izzy the first to disappear when she's asked to dance.

"How many of these is it gonna take before we see you up there, huh, Alec?" Jace teases with a wave of his glass as they watch Izzy dancing a few feet away.

Magnus narrows his eyes in slight confusion looking between the two of them, and though he doesn't say a word out loud Alec hears his thoughts anyway. Jace isn't aware of how much he enjoys dancing, because it's not exactly a subject that comes up between them. So he won't know that it's usually _him_ that asks Magnus to take them to a club, or a party where they can dance all night when he feels like it. But it's something he's been looking forward to tonight.

He doesn't come to Pandemonium often with Magnus, knowing there are Downworlders who prefer to approach him when he's alone when asking for help. But on the few occasions he has been he's sat right here, curled up in Magnus' side where he belongs, or is out on the dancefloor with him when a favorite song comes on. It's his favorite part of being here with him, Alec thinks; that, and the way suspicious looks for him have become accepting ones over time.

"So?" Jace asks again with laughter in his voice as he drains his drink and shakes his glass again. "How many?"

Alec knocks back the rest of his drink before pulling Magnus to his feet, holding back a burst of laughter at the wide-eyed look Jace is giving him back.

"None," he announces, squeezing Magnus' hand as he proudly leads him over to the dancefloor.


	28. Elephants

"You know. Magnus once charmed this… park keeper into letting us ride elephants past sunset by offering him an elixir to make his rice fields fertile."

Alec looks at Catarina as she speaks, then at Magnus as his hand whips up to play with his earcuff as he looks elsewhere, and smiles for the thought of hearing more to the story.

"Really," he says as they take a final glance over the elephant enclosure of the zoo that has no doubt inspired the comment.

"Oh, yes," Catarina teases with an affectionate glimpse at Magnus who is doing his best not to glare. "Magnus was quite… persuasive."

"And how was he persuasive?" Alec asks, laughing as Magnus' eyes grow wide in alarm.

"He said, and I quote, _your fields will soon be as fertile as your own loins_."

"He had a big family," Magnus protests, "it—"

"Was not your finest moment," Catarina finishes for him grinning gleefully at Magnus. "The poor man had latched on to Magnus throughout the entire tour beforehand and was quite… enamored. I've never seen a man become so crestfallen quite so quickly."

"Did it work?" Alec asks as Madzie comes charging towards them excitedly beckoning them forward to look at a rhino.

"Oh, it worked," Catarina replies with an arch to her voice, "though let's just say there was an awkward silence for a while."

"It was a beautiful sunset—"

"And then," Catarina continues, interrupting Magnus as Madzie hands her a balled up napkin from her ice cream to throw in the trash, "Magnus somehow got us invited to this poor man's home for dinner, where we had to endure his wife _fussing_ over us because she was excited about having guests, while _he_ pouted at Magnus like a jilted lover across the table throughout the entire meal." 

"It was over a century ago," Magnus says with a dismissive wave of his hand.

"Oh, yeah?" Alec says as he scoops Madzie up and sits her on his shoulders. "Everything you don't wanna talk about is _over a century_."

Magnus' eyes become even more startled and Alec leans in to placate him with a kiss. "Not _everything_ —"

"It's just how his memory works," Catarina says as she reaches out to tie Madzie's shoelace. "Everything is either _now_ or _over a century ago_."

"I—"

"It's true," Alec says with tease in his voice for how flustered Magnus is getting. 

"But—"

"And I'm fine with it," he adds, pretending to be serious. "But if you start referring to our _wedding anniversary_ as _over a century ago_ at some point? You're sleeping on the couch. For at least a decade."

"We're… not even married yet," Magnus points out, though quickly reaches out to lace their hands together. "And I would _never_ —"

"I'm teasing," Alec whispers as he leans in to kiss him, pressing his hand against Madzie's thigh to keep her in place on his shoulders.

"You two together are… troublesome," Magnus declares when they pull apart, looking between Alec and Catarina in reproach.

"And you love us for it," Catarina retorts as she beams at him.

"Yes," Magnus agrees with a begrudging sigh as he nudges into Alec's side, "yes, I suppose I do."


	29. Hotel Suite

"This place is huge," Alec says as they step into the hotel suite that's going to be theirs for the next few days.

"It is. I think we might manage to get lost."

"You wanna try?"

"We could try," Magnus says with a wink as he turns from him, dropping their bags down on a nearby armchair and disappearing into the depths of the room.

Alec's phone buzzes and he opens it to check a message from Izzy, firing off a quick response before dropping it down on a nightstand. He kicks off his shoes and takes off his jacket, walking over towards the floor to ceiling windows and admiring the view.

"Magnus?" he calls out but doesn't hear an answer, going in search of him as he tries to familiarize himself. 

This break is long overdue after a hectic few weeks of negotiating with the Clave about certain freedoms they've been trying to take from Downworlders. They've been successful in deterring the worst of the suggested changes, but nerves have been stretched to their limits, and the moment they were free to disappear Magnus and Alec needed to be alone.

Alec peeks in at the bathroom noting it's just as opulent as everything else he's already seen. And further exploration reveals a small kitchen area that's already stocked with so many of their favorite things which has to be Magnus' doing. Alec pours them both a glass of a wine he finds in the fridge and continues to seek Magnus out.

"I know I said we _could_ get lost," Alec calls out, but is stopped from adding anything else for the shirt he finds trailed over a chair, that Magnus _had_ been wearing when they arrived.

He finds shoes tucked between a couch in a second room, and doubles back on himself to find a pair of discarded pants draped over the balcony door. Alec checks outside, half-pleased he doesn't find Magnus standing there half-naked in the bitter cold, and ducks back into the suite, increasingly bemused as he searches.

Magnus' belt is hung over a mirror in a hallway, and Alec finds his boxers on their bed when he loops back around. Magnus is nowhere to be seen, apparently, and yet has _everything_ on show. Alec grins to himself as he takes his shirt off and discards the rest of his clothes in a heap on the floor.

There is an alcove to the far corner of their hotel suite that Alec has managed to miss. And sure enough, as he walks towards it, he finds Magnus slightly bent over with his hands against a window seat, looking out at the view below. Alec stops to admire the view himself before stepping forward to sweep his hands over Magnus' back, smiling as he straightens up and leans back against him, and humming when he realizes Alec is naked too.

"Might as well start as we mean to go on, huh?" Alec mouths into his neck as his hands sweep down over Magnus' front in exploration.

"That is an excellent idea," Magnus agrees, widening his stance a little and turning his head to one side to give Alec better access.


	30. Greasy Spoon

"You want to eat… _here_?" Magnus asks as Alec brings them to a staggering stop, having to press one hand into his chest to keep him upright.

" _Yes_ ," Alec declares with a wide sweep of his arm, "this is _exactly_ what I want right now."

"Well, okay, Alec," Magnus replies, realizing belatedly that Alec is far beyond _tipsy_ and well into the territory of being _drunk_. He holds Alec up as he charges toward the diner door and apologizes to it when shoving it open, guiding him into the nearest seat to prevent any more harm.

"I'm starving," Alec announces as he snatches up the menu, squinting at the words as though they're in Greek.

"What do you want to eat?"

"Everything."

"And if _everything_ is what you truly want—"

"Burger. Big burger," Alec replies, stabbing his finger against the menu with enough force to make the laminate wobble.

"Okay—"

"With bacon, and cheese, and _pickle_ ," Alec announces with a hiccup.

"Whatever—"

"Fries. And is milkshake good? Did I have milkshake before?"

"Not with me you haven't," Magnus replies, carefully schooling in his smile as Alec finally looks up at him. He _is_ drunk, he thinks, seeing the glassiness in his eyes and how he's not entirely focused. That last shot he'd insisted on trying must have tipped him over the edge.

"Can you order?" Alec says then, thumbs pointing away from the table. "I need—"

"Over there," Magnus says as he points out the bathroom to the side of the counter, then watches as Alec stands, teetering on the spot for a moment before turning around.

"How much did he have?" asks a waitress as she comes to the table and watches with Magnus as Alec navigates his way to the bathroom.

"More than I realized," Magnus replies, which makes the waitress laugh as she takes their order.

Magnus decides on a burger for himself, though judging from the size of one being brought to a neighboring table doesn't think he'll manage anything else. And along with Alec's milkshake he orders them both coffee, hoping caffeine on top of all that food he's about to eat might line Alec's stomach and stave off a hangover.

Maybe they got too dehydrated, Magnus thinks, since they've been dancing for hours and only stopping to go to the bar for more drinks. Alec _loves_ dancing, which was a total surprise to Magnus in the beginning. It's usually Alec that's the one to prompt him, and always Alec that wants to stay for _just one more_. Alec who insists on dancing barefoot around the kitchen when they're making dinner together, and Alec who leads him out on to the balcony when either of them have had a bad day, turning him in the small circle of his arms.

Alec's smile for him when he returns is that slightly dazed, half-lopsided one Magnus has only seen a few times. Alec slumps down in the seat opposite with a grateful sigh, instantly reaching for Magnus' hand. "I'm tired."

"I'm not surprised. We've been out for hours."

"But they've been _good_ hours," Alec insists, not budging his grip on Magnus' hand when the waitress brings their drinks to the table.

" _Coffee_?" Alec says in surprise, even sounded a little wounded for it. But when Magnus nods and wrinkles his nose up in encouragement Alec takes a few sips, once again gracing him with a smile.

"It'll make the milkshake even sweeter," Magnus promises, disguising a laugh behind his hands as Alec grips the glass with both hands and leans down, sucking noisily on the straw.

"It's _good_ ," Alec announces, and Magnus knows that Alec has no intention of anything when he sucks harder on the straw without breaking eye contact, but it still makes him smile.

"Good. I'm glad you like it."

"You don't like milkshake?"

"I—"

"Try," Alec insists, pushing the glass across the table and pinching the straw to hold it for him. Magnus indulges him since he can rarely help it, watching Alec's eyes fill with delight as he takes a sip.

"It's good."

"You want one?"

"No—"

"'Cos you can share this one, if you want," Alec adds, nudging at the glass for Magnus to take another sip.

Magnus does as asked and is rewarded with yet another smile. Then watches his eyes grow wide in surprise as their food is served.

"That's—"

"You asked for a big burger," Magnus points out when Alec continues to look down at the plate in awe.

"It's as big as my hand," Alec says as he covers his hand with the burger proving it is almost as wide as the span of his fingers.

"So it is."

"You do keep telling me I have big hands," Alec adds the very second Magnus has picked up his burger. He tries not to react to the snort of laughter that follows from behind Alec, carefully looking over his shoulder to catch a man grinning at him manically.

"Yes," Magnus agrees concentrating firmly on his food, though is distracted once again for the plate of fries shoved towards him.

"Help. I can't eat all that."

Alec keeps staring at Magnus until he relents and grabs a handful of fries, depositing them on his own plate.

"So. We have nowhere to be in the morning, right?"

"Magnus," Alec laughs as he finally picks up his burger, "it's already morning."

"True."

"Only place we need to go is to _bed_."

There is another snort of laughter from the man sat behind Alec that Alec thankfully is oblivious to.

"Yes, we do."

"I might need to shower first, though," Alec says, his words coming out muffled both for the mouthful of burger and tilting his chin down to look at his shirt. "I'm _hot_."

Magnus sucks in a breath at the _titter_ that invites but smiles in agreement when Alec looks at him. "Did you enjoy tonight?"

"Magnus. Of course I did," Alec says with so much sincerity as he drops his burger to his plate and reaches across to squeeze Magnus' arm, that Magnus freezes mid-chew frightened to do anything else that will reveal just how badly he wants to laugh.

"Well, good."

"It's nice just being able to walk somewhere sometimes, without all of _that_ ," Alec adds with a violent jolt of his fingers that Magnus _thinks_ is supposed to mean his magic, but instead results on Alec's burger upended on its plate.

"Well, good—"

Alec is such a _chatterer_ when he's drunk, Magnus thinks as he watches him in delight. He picks at his burger inspecting the pickle up close, telling Magnus everything from his thoughts on the music at the club they've just been to, to Izzy reorganizing the weapons room, and Jace complaining that Clary's got so good at sparring, she put him on his back.

"I think he _liked_ it," Alec adds with what Magnus can only describe as a _giggle_.

Magnus carefully swallows his mouthful of coffee and nudges Alec's cup towards the waitress to top up.

"Anyway," Alec says, absently drinking the coffee as he scoops up a handful of fries, "I think we should stay home for the rest of the weekend."

"Oh, you do?" Magnus teases, helplessly echoing Alec's smile as he gives him the most exaggerated wink.

" _Yes._ I'd like that a _lot_."

The burst of laughter to follow is raucous, and Magnus assumes the man finding their conversation so amusing might also be almost as drunk as Alec. He stands up, staggering a couple of steps towards their table and loudly wishes them a goodnight before leaving. Alec turns to watch then looks back at Magnus, adorably confused.

"What happened?" Alec asks, leaning forward and whispering. "Did we miss something?"

Magnus reaches out to squeeze around Alec's forearm, shaking his head. "Not at all. Though I _do_ think I should get you to bed."

"Well. If you _insist_ ," Alec replies with that beautiful lopsided smile Magnus will never get enough of seeing.

"Let's get you to bed, Shadowhunter," Magnus says softly as he hauls Alec to his feet, wrapping an arm secure around his waist and tugging him out of the diner.


	31. Make Out

"Are you finished for today?" Alec asks as he walks through to find Magnus sprawled out on the couch, already changed into lounge pants and t-shirt and working product free from his hair.

"I am," he replies, looking up as Alec smiles down at him.

"Nothing else you need to do?" Alec says as he helps Magnus with some strands that have got tangled together.

"Not a thing."

"Good," Alec replies, reaching down to slip his fingers between Magnus' legs and lift up his knee.

"Alex—"

Magnus' words turn to laughter as Alec works his way into the gap created between his knees, arranging Magnus' legs to drape over his calves as he gets comfortable laid out on the couch. He presses a sighed out kiss into his neck before nuzzling there, adjusting on his forearms so he isn't digging into Magnus with his elbows, then ghosts their lips together in a soft kiss.

"Then we can do this," Alec whispers, teasing him with further kisses until there is little else between them but whispers and soft smiles.

Magnus tucks his hands beneath Alec's t-shirt spreading them wide to prevent a draft getting to his back. Alec's fingertips grip around his upper arms giving the occasional squeeze, and every time Magnus notices him doing it he can't help but smile.

"What?" Alec says after a few times catching him doing it, pulling back enough look at his face.

"Nothing."

"Magnus," Alec says, nuzzling against his jaw before kissing him.

"You seem to… be liking what you're… feeling."

"Are you kidding?" Alec asks, pulling back a little more with an incredulous huff. "That night when I came to apologize to you for all that stuff when Jace went missing with Valentine. I had this whole long apology prepared word perfect, and you just… I couldn't stop _looking_ at you. I haven't been able to stop _looking_ at you ever since."

Magnus does _not_ preen under the look Alec is giving him but might arch his back a little to press them even closer together. "Really."

"Yes, really."

"Like the time you deliberately were training when you knew I was coming to the Institute," Magnus retorts, his words having the desired effect of making Alec blush.

"Yeah, well. I guess I was just… testing to see if I had your attention or something," Alec says, avoiding his gaze, though not able to hide his smile.

"Oh, you have had my _attention_ for quite some time now."

Alec fights back another smile, tucking himself into Magnus' neck. Though he doesn't stay there long, beginning another trail of kisses to his mouth so they can continue where they just left off.

Magnus shifts after a while with his leg beginning to go numb, and Alec knowing immediately where for the way he reaches down to massage his thigh.

"Am I getting too heavy for you?" Alec teases as he nips at his jaw.

"Shadowhunter. You weigh a _ton_."

"Oh," Alec laughs, pressing it into Magnus' neck, "like you're one to talk."

"I—"

Magnus is cut off again for Alec quickly kneeling up and sneaking his fingertips beneath his t-shirt to stroke up his chest with a pleased smile on his face.

"I mean, I'm not objecting in any way," Alec adds, sweeping his hands back down to grip around his sides.

"No, I suppose you aren't."

"But we can… swap places if you want," Alec tells him, leaning back down for a kiss, which is the perfect opportunity for Magnus to flip them over, using a _little_ bit of magic to also rid Alec of his shirt as he settles between his legs.

"That's… cheating," Alec says even as he's arching against him, and slotting his fingers back beneath Magnus' t-shirt to sweep it up and over his head.

"Complaining?"

"Not at all," Alec replies as he pulls Magnus closer, dragging him back down into another kiss.


	32. Past and Future

"You were so _stern_ with me in the beginning," Magnus says as he looks over at Alec with a teasing smile.

Alec groans for it, knows he deserves a much stronger word than _stern_ , and can only compensate for it by reaching out for Magnus to pull him into his arms. It's a beautiful clear evening with just enough breeze to take the edge off the heat. They've been on the balcony for almost an hour, though considering how busy their day has been it feels like only a few minutes have passed.

"It's okay, Alexander. I _liked_ trying to make you smile," Magnus tells him as he settles on Alec's lap, careful not to jostle either of their glasses.

"And you did. You made me smile all the time."

"It was hard to tell," Magnus replies, ducking to press a long kiss over his brow. "At one point, I feared there would always be a permanent scowl here."

"I never scowl at you now."

"Oh, but you do," Magnus insists with another kiss in tease.

"When?" Alec says with a burst of indignant laughter, adjusting his hand around Magnus' hip so his elbow isn't digging in his thigh.

"When I wake you up when it's _too early, Magnus_. When the bath water is _too hot, Magnus_. When—"

"Well, if I'm _complaining_ all the time, why'd you put up with me, huh, _Magnus_?" Alec retorts, closing his eyes and smiling as Magnus peppers kisses all over his face.

"I would have thought that obvious by now."

"Still. Sounds like I'm a piece of work. Maybe you should tell me anyway."

"Because I love you," Magnus replies, nuzzling against his cheek. "Because I love everything about you; even the occasional scowl."

"I love you too," Alec tells him, smacking a loud kiss on his cheek that sets Magnus off laughing. "For all the, _Alexander, we should just portal there_ and _Alec, that shirt needs to be hand washed_ and _Alec, that is no way to prepare a stew_."

Laughter erupts from Magnus then, his arm curling around Alec's neck and his fingers sweeping through his hair. "Your impression of me is _terrible_."

"As is yours of _me_."

"We'll agree to disagree on that, shall we?" Magnus suggests as he leans in to kiss him, thoroughly distracting them both.

"Are we getting Belgian waffles in the morning?" Alec asks when they're done, resting their foreheads together and smiling as Magnus raises his eyebrows repeatedly to make him pull back.

"It would be a fitting breakfast. So long as you don't storm out on me this time."

"I promise to never storm out on you again. As long as Belgian waffles are on offer," Alec adds with a wink that sets Magnus off laughing again.

"Oh, so you'll stay for waffles, but nothing else?"

"There might be one or two other things you can persuade me with," Alec replies, sweeping his hand over Magnus' thigh.

"We said we would wait for that until tomorrow night," Magnus points out before brushing their lips together.

"We did. Though I keep forgetting why either of us thought that would be a good idea."

"Impatient, Alexander."

"I'm always impatient for you," Alec tells him as he leans in for another kiss and feels Magnus smiling against him.

"It's only been a matter of days—"

"And it feels like _years_ ," Alec says in mock-grumble, holding up his hand to stop Magnus talking when it looks like he's about to. "But. It'll be worth it. _You're_ worth it."

"I am pleased that you think so."

"I know so," Alec counters, leaning so he can push his glass on the table and hold on to Magnus more securely with both hands.

"This time tomorrow, we'll be in an apartment miles away from anyone, where we can do anything we want to. Any time at all."

"Can't wait," Alec says, loosening his grip on Magnus as he shifts to get more comfortable.

"I can't believe we get a whole two weeks without anyone to disturb us," Magnus adds as he settles.

It's been a crazy few weeks what with getting everything ready, and everything else that's happened. Their lives have been hectic for getting on for almost two months, partly for all they needed to prepare for tomorrow, but mostly for what is going on in the world around them. At least they can leave tomorrow safe in the knowledge they've settled everything they could possibly settle before leaving.

"You're sure we packed everything?" Magnus asks, as though they haven't spent much of this evening just packing and finalizing a few details.

"Magnus. We're as ready as we can be. Don't tell me it's gonna be _you_ who struggles keeping away from work when we finally get out of here," Alec teases.

"Oh, I have every intention of turning my cell phone off and putting wards up so no one can get to us the minute we step through that portal tomorrow."

"That sounds perfect," Alec agrees, his stomach both knotting in excitement and nerves for the next twenty-four hours.

"No second thoughts?" Magnus asks, with slight hesitancy in his voice that says he still fears Alec might pull back from him at the last minute.

It must be so difficult for Magnus, to be offered everything he never thought he'd be able to have, and to still fear it being snatched from him. Alec can't wait to prove to him that is never going to happen to him again.

"None," Alec assures him with a kiss. "I can't wait to be married to you. I can't wait to be _everything_ with you. I already feel like every day I'm excited, just 'cos I know you're gonna be in it. And now, we get that for _always_."

"Alexander," Magnus says with a smile, but doesn't seem to want to say anything else.

Alec squeezes his arms around Magnus' waist to pull him a little closer, rehearsing the vows he's carefully written for tomorrow. Wondering from Magnus' expression if he is doing the same.


End file.
